Go Forward Lateral: A Revolution in Sewer Lateral Inspections

Sewer lateral inspections used to be a huge time-waster. Although the inspections themselves only took about 30 minutes to complete, the process of submitting the findings to the city, which then had to determine which repairs were needed to bring the sewer lateral up to code, could be a massive hassle for owners, plumbers, and city workers alike.

This all changed when Jesse Aizenstat of Santa Barbara, California, released Go Forward Lateral in January, 2020. This modern, cloud-based software streamlines sewer lateral inspection programs by connecting plumbing contractors, property owners, and municipalities via a professional, user-friendly online tool.

Today, Go Forward Lateral (goforwardlateral.com) is required in various municipalities across Orange County, California. Plumbing contractors seeking to do any work in this area cannot get a permit unless they complete a video cam inspection, and then document and upload their findings to the website.

What’s a sewer lateral & why does it need to be inspected?

A sewer lateral is the pipe that connects the plumbing system of a residential or commercial property to the city’s sewer system. These pipes usually run beneath the property in question until they connect with a larger pipe, called a sewer main, which is typically located underneath the street or another nearby area.

Since the purpose of a sewer lateral is to remove wastewater from a property and deliver it to the sewer main to be transported to a wastewater treatment facility, it’s a crucial component of a building’s plumbing system.

To prevent damage and health hazards caused by clogged, blocked, or damaged sewer laterals, these pipes need to be inspected on an annual basis, or after the property was bought or added onto. This ensures that any problems are caught on time and addressed before more severe (and costly) complications can occur.

How does Go Forward Lateral help?

Go Forward Lateral greatly simplifies communication at every stage of a sewer lateral inspection program by providing a unified platform for the entire inspection lifecycle. It streamlines the submittal process, facilitates the creation and delivery of professional reports, ensures file compatibility during report submittal, prevents data loss, and saves time and money for everyone involved.

Here’s how everyone benefits from this software:

• Inspectors (plumbing contractors) are able to create and deliver professional digitized inspection reports using a simple cloud-based tool. This eliminates the need to fill out hardcopy forms and drop off thumb drives with their video inspections at the city’s offices.
• Home or business owners can receive timely updates on the status of their sewer lateral inspection (submitted, reviewed, or completed). By being emailed their final CCTV inspection, they can easily access this data when they need it without the risk of misplacing the paperwork.
• Municipalities are able to quickly and easily receive and review inspection reports. This streamlines the approval process and eliminates the need for clunky paper forms or cloud storage solutions. New data is inserted directly into ArcGIS as a layer.

Go Forward Lateral is also good for the environment. Since there’s no longer any need for plumbers to drive down to the city’s offices to deliver disposable thumb drives that contain their reports, fossil fuel usage and the amount of waste created is reduced. With everything being digital, there’s no need for excess and unnecessary paperwork.