Buchanan, GA Sewer Line and Drain Guide for Homeowners

Who provides sewer service here

The City of Buchanan's departments include a Water Department, and the city's services page groups water and sewer together, with owner and renter water agreements, an online utility bill payment link and the annual water quality report (Buchanan services). The city's history page dates city water service to the 1950s and lists both Buchanan City Hall and the Haralson County Water Authority as local water contacts (About Buchanan), so a water bill from the county authority does not by itself mean you are on city sewer.

Inside the city limits, owners of buildings within 250 feet of a public sewer line that can take their sewage by gravity must connect within 45 days of official notice, or connect to a properly built septic tank in that time if they cannot reach the sewer (Buchanan code, Sec. 50-69).

Where your responsibility ends

Buchanan's code divides ownership plainly. The city owns and maintains the sewer line from the main to the service lateral, and the property owner owns and maintains the service line from the service lateral to the building it serves. The water side follows the same pattern: the city's part ends at the curb box (Buchanan code, Sec. 50-35).

Two more rules shape who does the work. Any connection from the city property line into the public sewer must be made by the city (Sec. 50-130), and all work on water and sewer lines owned by the property owner must be performed by a licensed plumber (Sec. 50-36). The owner also pays for connecting the building sewer from the house to the city property line and indemnifies the city against losses the connection causes (Sec. 50-129).

Where exactly the service lateral begins on your lot is something only the city can confirm, so ask before a contractor digs near the street. To see how Buchanan's split compares with other utilities, read who is responsible for the sewer line.

If sewage backs up

Contact the City of Buchanan if sewage is coming up from a manhole or several neighbors are affected, since the main and the city's part of the line are the city's to maintain under Sec. 50-35. If the stoppage is in your own service line, the code requires a licensed plumber for the repair (Sec. 50-36), so main sewer line clog signs can help you judge where the problem is before you call.

In the house, keep people away from the sewage and follow what to do in a sewer backup.

Repairs, permits and inspections

Permits are a city matter in Buchanan. The services page offers residential and commercial plumbing permit applications alongside building, electrical, HVAC, grading and curb cut permits, and permits can be paid online (Buchanan services).

The sewer article adds the superintendent's role. Nobody may uncover, connect to, alter or disturb a public sewer without the superintendent's written permit; the owner or agent applies on a city form; and the applicant must notify the superintendent when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection (Secs. 50-128 and 50-134). The building sewer must be 4-inch Schedule 40 PVC with watertight joints, laid at a slope of at least one-eighth inch per foot, in an open trench that is not backfilled until the work has been inspected; if a small public sewer has no suitable wye, the city installs one where the superintendent specifies (Sec. 50-133).

Digging near the street starts with Georgia 811, which asks for a free ticket at least three business days ahead (Georgia 811). State law requires the ticket before digging with machines and limits the sewer owner's locating help to the edge of the public right-of-way (Georgia dig law).

Grease, wipes and rainwater

Buchanan's code bans stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff and subsurface drainage from the sanitary sewer (Sec. 50-152). It also prohibits water hotter than 150 degrees Fahrenheit, waste with more than 100 milligrams per liter of fat, oil or grease, garbage that isn't properly shredded, and solids such as rags, plastics and sand that can block a sewer (Sec. 50-153).

The interceptor rule in Sec. 50-154 reaches restaurants and shops, not homes, so a household's part is keeping grease and wipes out of the drain; see what not to flush or pour.

Septic homes in this area

A private sewage disposal system needs a written permit signed by the city superintendent, and the permit takes effect only after the finished installation passes inspection, made within 48 hours of notice and before anything is buried. No soil absorption system is allowed on a lot under 15,000 square feet, and when public sewer becomes available within 250 feet, the owner must connect and fill the old tank (Secs. 50-100, 50-101, 50-103 and 50-105).

Haralson County Environmental Health is at 133 Buchanan Bypass in Buchanan, open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Haralson County Environmental Health). The health district takes repair applications through the county office and evaluates existing systems before home additions and loan closings (Land Use / Onsite Sewage).

Cities and communities served

In this directory, Buchanan's sewer serves Buchanan alone. Nearby Bremen and Waco run their own systems; see the Bremen page and the local directory.

Next step

Ask the city where your service lateral begins, and keep the name of a licensed plumber on hand, because Buchanan's code requires one for any work on the line you own.