City of Houston Sanitary Sewer Initiative SSI
The Countdown to Compliance: What Houston’s Sanitary Sewer Initiative Means for Facility Leaders
What do you know about the City of Houston Sanitary Sewer Initiative? If you manage a facility, campus, or industrial property in Houston, there’s a compliance clock already ticking—and it’s moving fast. The City of Houston’s federally mandated sanitary sewer initiative is more than a municipal project; it’s a systemwide overhaul that extends all the way to private property connections.
Under the EPA–DOJ Consent Decree signed in 2021, Houston must reduce Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) citywide. But this effort doesn’t stop at the street—it now includes the private sanitary and vent systems that connect every commercial, multifamily, and institutional property to the City’s network.
For Facilities Managers, Chief Engineers, and Plant Managers, that means one thing: you’re now part of the compliance equation.
The Shift in Responsibility
In the past, the City owned everything beyond the curb. Now, the rules have changed. Houston Public Works is responsible for eliminating inflow and infiltration (I/I)—rainwater, groundwater, and “clearwater” entering the sanitary system through cracks, leaks, or faulty connections.
Many of those problems originate from private infrastructure: aging sanitary lines, corroded vent stacks, and leaking joints. The City is actively identifying those defects through smoke testing, CCTV inspections, and field assessments.
Once a facility is identified, property owners receive a formal notice requiring corrective action—often within 30 to 60 days.
What Facility Leaders Need to Know
If your property’s infrastructure is aging or uninspected, this initiative will affect you. Once a letter is issued, you’ll need to:
• Inspect and document the defect.
• Hire a qualified repair contractor.
• Provide evidence of completion to Houston Public Works.
Ignoring the notice isn’t an option. Noncompliance can result in daily fines, operational disruption, or even service interruption. For mission-critical facilities—like hospitals, universities, manufacturing plants, and multifamily housing—the cost of downtime can exceed the cost of repair.
Proactive Inspection Is the New Standard
Waiting for a City notice means giving up control of the timeline. The most effective facility managers are moving early—conducting camera assessments, smoke testing, and full diagnostic mapping of their private systems.
TDT Plumbing is fully equipped to handle this process end-to-end. Our teams use state-of-the-art video inspection and smoke testing technology to pinpoint defects early—allowing property owners to plan, budget, and correct issues on their own timeline instead of the City’s.
We are not just pipe maintenance and repair. We are pipe and drain forensics experts. Our role is to uncover the source of inflow and infiltration before it becomes a compliance failure—and to document your system’s condition with the precision regulators expect.
Demo-Free Compliance with eDrain®
When repairs are required, excavation and demolition are no longer your only options.
TDT Plumbing’s eDrain® system is a trenchless, demolition-free technology that restores damaged sanitary and vent systems from the inside out—without tearing through walls, floors, or foundations.
eDrain® uses a proprietary epoxy lining process that seals cracks, joints, and corrosion, creating a seamless, watertight system that eliminates inflow and infiltration. The entire process cures and can be back to service within 24 hours—a critical advantage for facilities highly sensitive to shutdowns.
That means: No trenching or concrete demo. Minimal downtime. Full compliance with the City’s testing requirements.
The potential of a 24-hour cure-time and back-to-service solution is essential for keeping hospitals, industrial facilities, and multifamily properties operational and compliant—without disruption.
The Leadership Imperative
Houston’s sanitary sewer initiative isn’t temporary—it’s a long-term compliance framework that will shape how facilities manage infrastructure for the next decade.
Facility leaders who act early will avoid fines, maintain uptime, and demonstrate environmental accountability to ownership, tenants, and regulators.
The future of compliance is demo-free, trenchless, and forensic. eDrain® makes that future achievable today.
Take Action
If your facility connects to the City of Houston’s sanitary sewer system, don’t wait for a letter. Get ahead of the testing cycle.
Download TDT Plumbing’s Comprehensive Guide for Property Owners to understand the City’s requirements, deadlines, and how eDrain®’s 24-hour cure-time and back-to-service technology can help your property stay compliant—without demolition or downtime.
