Identifying Sewage Leaks in Urban Environments: Examples from Athens, Ga

Sewer line failures are a major cause of stream impairment in urban areas. While many sewer line failures can be readily identified and corrected, other failures may be more difficult to remedy. This paper examines the general problem of sewer line failures. Specifically, we discuss 1) the observed causes of sewer line failures, 2) methods for determining which streams are being affected by sewer line failures, and 3) strategies for pinpointing the exact location of these failures so that they can be repaired. Examples of sewer line failures within Athens, Georgia, are used to illustrate the problems with identifying these failures.