Con Edison and Damaged Sewer Laterals: An Update from Mayor Arest

Following a multiyear project to install a large gas transmission line along Walworth Avenue and Fox Meadow Road, some residents found that the sewer lateral lines from their home had been damaged in the process. This new headache followed years of road closures, excavation, repaving and loss of service. The utilities’ lack of accountability highlighted the problem of their right to access Scarsdale’s roadways without consideration of damage to the Village infrastructure.

How many homes were involved? With the street now repaved it has been difficult to do the inspections which need to be done by video.

In order to sell your home, residents are required to demonstrate that they have a working sewer lateral by filing a “Sewer Lateral Discharge Compliance Certificate,” so some who were selling their homes retained private contractors to do the inspections. Others waited for Con Edison to do the work. And once it was determined that the lines were indeed damaged, residents wanted assurance that Con Edison would pay for the repairs.

Furthermore, this new gas transmission line was never put into use, and now it turns out that there are flaws in the welding that requires repair. In addition, work needs to be done on a separate gas transmission line along the same route. All this will mean that the street will again need to be torn up, with road closures and disruptions in service.

The Mayor had an update for concerned residents at the August 11, 2026 Village Board meeting where he reported that the Village met with Con Edison on July 15 and August 5, and was joined by State Assemblymember Amy Paulin at the August 5 meeting.

He said, “According to Con Edison, they have now inspected the sewer laterals of 75 homes, with some of those requiring a second inspection. Residents of at least 63 of those homes are expected to receive their inspection videos by August 14th, with the remainder to follow shortly after. Of the results reviewed so far, Con Edison reports that 20 laterals need repair or reinforcement of their connection to the sewer main. Another 17 may possibly need the same, though they say they won't know for certain until the street is open, and 10 more addresses still need additional review. A handful of inspections remain to be completed. Once residents receive their videos, Con Edison has committed to coordinating directly with any homeowner whose lateral means are repaired or reinforced connection to the sewer main.”

Transmission Line Repairs

Though the new line is not in use, it already requires repairs.

Arest said, “Con Edison also alerted us to another separate yet related matter for this stretch of road. Con Edison has identified a number of locations along the transmission main itself that require excavation, so the welds where the pipes meet can be reexamined with X-ray testing as a matter of pipeline safety. I know this is not welcome news, but it is work that will have to be completed to ensure safety before the gas main is active sometime in the future. We understand that a number of these well locations line up with the same stretches of road where sewer laterals already need physical inspection or repair. We have made it clear to Con Edison that we expect this work to be coordinated and expedited wherever possible, so that once started, is completed as quickly as reasonably possible. These residents have already experienced significant disruption, and while we recognize that this work needs to be completed, they should never have been subjected to repeated rounds of construction.”

Plans are Needed

Arest said that this time, Con Edison will need to submit a work plan so that the street will not be torn up multiple times for repairs at the same site.

He said, “No permit for this work has been issued, and no permit will be issued until Con Edison presents a comprehensive plan that demonstrates every reasonable effort has been made to coordinate and expedite the work, avoid unnecessary repeated excavation, and minimize the impact on residents to the greatest extent possible. Safety, accountability, and efficiency must be built into that plan from the outset.”

“The Village will also require an independent inspector on site full time for the duration of the work at Con Edison's expense, along with any other measures we determine are necessary to protect our residents and our infrastructure.”

September 15 Community Meeting with Con Edison

He announced a meeting with Con Ed to give the community an opportunity to ask questions:

“We have also worked to ensure that you will have time to speak to Con Edison directly. They will be holding a community meeting, as we have previously discussed and committed to having. That meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 15 at 7p.m. here in Rutherford Hall, and Con Edison will take questions from residents. That meeting is important as we know there are still unanswered questions for residents, including why certain homes are not currently on Con Edison's inspection list. We have not treated that question as closed, and if we do not have a better answer before September 15, Con Edison should expect to give one that evening.”

“If your home is not on the list and you believe it should be, please continue to reach out. Some residents have also asked about a separate gas distribution main project in the same area, where the timing of the work may have overlapped for some homes. Con Edison has told us that project involved a substantially shallower trench and Con Ed says it is highly improbable that the work caused damaged to any sewer laterals. Residents who want to raise that question directly with Con Edison should plan to do so that night.”

“We're going to keep working with Con Edison because our priority is getting these repairs done as quickly as possible for our residents. But let me be clear: our responsibility is to the people who live on these streets. We will hold Con Edison accountable for the commitments they've made. Push for the action our community deserves, and make sure your voices are heard every step of the way.”