Local News in Brief : Sewer-System Program

A two-year program began Wednesday aimed at lessening the burden on Los Angeles’ aging sewer system by using smoke devices to detect illegal connections.

The devices are designed to discharge smoke that can be traced through roof vents on houses connected to the city’s sewer lines.

“By repairing damaged sewer lines and finding illegal connections, we can guarantee the integrity of the sewer system,” Board of Public Works Commissioner Kathleen Brown said. “That reduces the amount of rainwater that gets into the lines, overburdening our sewage treatment plants, and stops sewage from seeping into the soil and ground water.”

Federal officials have ordered the city to improve the treatment of the sewage that pours into Santa Monica Bay, and city officials have committed to spending $3.4 billion to improve the sewer system, which has some pipes that are more than 100 years old.