DC Water and Sewer Authority

Title:	Abandonment of Sewer Connections

Procedure:	All existing sewer connections, which are no longer required due to the demolition of a building or the installation of a new sewer connection due to the renovation of a building or the construction of a new building, shall be properly abandoned to avoid infiltration of ground water into the public sewer system. Current regulations of the District of Columbia Plumbing Code requires sewer connections to be abandoned by placing a bulkhead on the service sewer connection at the property line or at the manhole if the service sewer was connected to a manhole. The remaining service sewer must be abandoned in place. When the service sewer connection is abandoned by placing a bulkhead at the property line, it leaves a portion of an old service sewer, which can be a source of infiltration of ground water into the public sewer. Currently, sewer connections are abandoned by the applicant and the inspection of the work is done by the Plumbing Inspection Branch, Building and Land Regulation Administration, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA).