Stormwater, Sewers and Sinkholes

Though SF is plagued with a combined sewer and stormwater system, the city is very forward thinking regarding waste water issues.

SFist - New Plan for Valencia St Gutters

Which is a good thing, because SF has old sewers that can really present problems.

SFGate Inner Richmond Sinkhole

Exponent - Sea Cliff sinkhole

Sewer lines are clearly relevant to real estate, and to potential development, such as the planned 8 Washington project.  So, again I say, inspect and care for your sewer line, because you are responsible for it till it meets the city line, and prevention is always better (and cheaper!) than crisis repair. In Marin the sewer systems are managed by individual or combined districts, more info can be found here.

What's Underneath the City and Why You Should Care

As a renter you can blithely assume the obvious parts of the home you live are all you need to know about. As an owner, if there are issues with the flow of your household plumbing, including the line to the street, you will be dealing with them. And paying to repair them if necessary. These are not repairs that can be postponed without consequence.

The city (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission- SFPUC) is doing a lot of sewer repair work on the city lines, but property owners are responsible for their lines ("sewer laterals") from the building to the city lines, and for replacement of the sidewalk squares that have to be removed for repair and/or replacement.

Old clay pipes shift as the earth does in our seismically alive neighborhoods, so if you can actually pull off an inspection contingency in this market, (or better yet, pre-inspect) a sewer lateral inspection is a really good idea. It's kind of cool, they run a tiny video camera down the line, and you can watch if you are not squeamish. Though as a buyer you don't have much leverage for repairs or credits these days, it is so much better to know up front what you are getting into. Sewer line and the corresponding city sidewalk repairs can range from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars.

Water Flowing Underground

My hat is off to Bernalwood, one of my favorite local blogs, not only for their fabulous reportage that often cracks me up, but for their latest post that so beautifully ties up several of my favorite interconnected subjects: topography, history, and infrastructure. So very helpful also is their earlier post on how to navigate the transition to a "more happy" Cesar Chavez.

David Rumsey

Here's a cool tool to find out if property you are considering is on top of a creek. Most creeks in San Francisco are underground in pipes at this point, though there are some small movements to daylight some of them.

Museum Ca

In San Francisco, the storm drains and sewers all run in the same pipes and are managed by the SF Public Utilities Commision.  In Marin, sewer systems are managed by individual districts, with several combining forces to work as larger districts.

San Pablo

There have been some terrible sewage spills in Marin in the last few years, leading to a requirement in some cities that sewer laterals be inspected at point of sale. Other cities offer incentives for lateral repair.  Whether required to or not, it is always a good idea to have the sewer lateral inspected if you are purchasing a single family home in a community served by a sewer system. It is much more fun to negotiate a reduction in purchase price, then to be surprised by a costly repair after closing.  

Eureka

In rural areas, septic systems are used for household waste instead. Inspections are vital for these as well. Besides the obvious health hazards (to your family, your neighbors and the environment) of a failing system,  the capacity of your septic system will have bearing on any expansion you may plan for your house in the future.