Utah Government Trust urges annual manhole inspections to reduce costly sewer backups

Jason Watterson, a staff member at the Utah Government Trust, told attendees at a Sewer Summit that inspecting manholes annually and documenting those inspections are the single most effective, low-cost steps sewer operators can take to prevent costly backups and related lawsuits.

Watterson said the trust—an organization that provides insurance and risk services for local government utilities—has seen its sewer-backup claims fall to roughly one-quarter to one-third of the levels reported in the late 2000s after members adopted simple inspection and maintenance practices. He made the comments during a presentation at the Sewer Summit; the date and location of the summit were not specified in the meeting record.

The trust collects data annually through a sewer survey and issues a report card to participating members. Watterson highlighted survey results showing roughly 120 member agencies operate collection systems and about 62% of manholes were inspected in 2024. He said 44 of the 120 responding agencies reported inspecting 100% of their manholes, and that the trust is concerned the overall inspection rate has declined from earlier years.

Inspector-focused, risk-based maintenance: Watterson said the trust’s working group concluded that “flipping a lid and seeing what’s going on in every manhole every year” lets operators target cleaning and repairs where they are most needed. That approach, he said, reduces the number of events that become high-cost claims and permits managers to allocate limited cleaning budgets more effectively. “If you inspect, you can focus your cleaning budget where it needs to be,” Watterson said.

Cleaning frequency and claim defense: Watterson described the trust’s practical standard for cleaning and claim handling. He said if a section of pipe that later caused a backup had been cleaned within the prior 12 months, the trust will generally deny a claim and defend that denial in court, unless there is evidence of gross negligence. Beyond the 12‑month window, he said the trust must demonstrate the agency was “reasonable and prudent,” which is harder to prove without documentation.

Survey highlights and system metrics: The presentation included the trust’s normalized survey data: roughly 8,000 miles of pipe across members, more than half a million service connections, and about 362 lift stations (with one agency owning nearly 30% of those lift stations). Watterson said roughly 80% of lift stations are remotely monitored and 57% have backup power, leaving about 43% without secondary power—an exposure the trust views as a place to improve resilience.

Risk drivers and common causes: Watterson identified common causes of backups that inspections and other basic steps can address: grease from restaurants (FOG), foreign objects including so-called “flushable” wipes, laterals blocked by homeowner behavior, lost or unmapped lines and manholes, and tree-root invasion. He recounted an anecdote from Washington County in which a terminal manhole in an undeveloped subdivision contained furniture and carpeting from children using it as a cool place to play—an example of foreign objects creating unexpected obstructions.

Tools, technology and staffing choices: Agencies report a mix of in-house and contractor cleaning: about 44% of respondents clean in-house and 56% use contractors. Watterson said some members use acoustic or other alternative monitoring technologies, but cautioned that sewer problems are long‑term issues and robust evidence (10–15 years of data) is needed to judge whether new monitoring can safely reduce cleaning frequency.

Regulatory and program notes: Roughly 9% of member agencies reported not having a Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP) submitted to the state; Watterson urged those agencies to comply. He also stressed that communities with restaurants should have a formal fats, oils and grease (FOG) program in local ordinance so inspections and interceptors are enforceable.

Documentation, communication and response plans: Watterson emphasized documentation—inspection logs, photos, cleaning records and complaint records—as the key exhibit to defend agencies in liability claims. He urged agencies to maintain accurate maps or GIS records, to document when problems are fixed, and to include sewer maintenance needs in budget presentations so elected councils or boards make explicit discretionary funding decisions. He also recommended a live contact number for residents for urgent response and suggested agencies develop response and goodwill protocols for time-sensitive incidents.

Resources and next steps: Watterson said the trust will continue targeted outreach to roughly a dozen member agencies that have had recurrent sewer issues and that the trust can provide boilerplate documents, training materials, and presentations for boards or councils. He also noted the trust sometimes returns premium dollars to members who implement recommended loss-prevention programs and reminded attendees the trust buys reinsurance for very large claims—so risk-reduction by members helps secure better reinsurance terms.

Watterson closed by encouraging annual manhole inspections as the top take-away, and by pointing attendees to physical and electronic copies of the trust’s sewer report cards and inspection checklists distributed at the summit.