NASSCO Report – NASSCO Now Sets Standards for Drain Inspection and Cleaning

Asset management is a mix of art and science. Effective plans are elaborated by creative people based on data provided by science. Previously, age-based management was an easy “go-to,” but it is no longer the golden standard. Complete CCTV Inspection reports using NASSCO’s PACP are a powerful tool to gather reliable data to work with.

After years of sewer main cleaning, inspecting and rehabilitation, the industry is slowly creeping up into a new market.

Building Sewers and Drains

Assessing building sewers presents a certain number of challenges. From property lines to their small diameter and their more difficult access points, one thing stands above all: The lack of any standard in the industry. Since the “lateral” is the combination of the building drain and the building sewer, it means they are regularly inspected and cleaned from the inside cleanout to the city sewer main by drain cleaners and plumbers.

System owners especially saw a great deal of variability in the videos they received. Due to how robust PACP is, NASSCO was approached to address the problem. As a result, the Association undertook two new projects. These were the NASSCO’s Building Sewer and Drain Inspection (BSDI) Certification Program and the NASSCO Drain Cleaning Certification Program.

NASSCO’s Drain Cleaning Certification Program is still in development. It is set to launch in early 2026. It will be an online self-paced course that will set the standard in good practices in the drain cleaning business. The program is targeted toward drain cleaners and plumbers. It is important for a drain to be cleaned properly before a quality final CCTV inspection is made. This ensures that the pipe can be visible and identifiable to better assess its condition.

What Is BSDI?

BSDI was launched in February 2025 and is also an online self-paced course. Inspired by PACP and NASSCO’s Lateral Assessment Certification Program (LACP), BSDI consists of instructions for conducting a quality CCTV inspection.

Additionally, it includes a detailed form to be used in the field to ensure proper assessment of the building drain. It is designed to set the quality standard for what system owners and homeowners should expect. This is when they have an expert conduct a CCTV inspection of a building sewer or drain.

The assessment of building sewers mostly comes in three scenarios:

• A lateral inspection program is in place or part of an inspection tender. Pipes in a certain block are inspected systematically regardless of their condition.
• A house is sold, and a CCTV inspection is required by the county or local jurisdiction.
• There is a problem resulting in a sewer backup in the house.

Especially in the last two scenarios, the complete pipe is inspected from the house by a plumber or a drain cleaner. However, the responsibility of that section of pipe could be shared, as that pipe crosses the property line above ground.

System Owner Involvement

As a result, while the homeowner ordered the CCTV inspection, the video is also transferred to the system owner. This is because half of that pipe is under their responsibility and, sometimes, it is their side of the pipe that needs intervention.

In response to the absence of standards, municipalities like Montreal, Longueuil and St-Bruno in the Province of Quebec and others across North America have already included some minimal performance specifications. These are included in any building sewer CCTV they receive.

BSDI meets or exceeds all criteria. It represents the answer to this gap that system owners started noticing a few years back. NASSCO’s Drain Cleaning Certification Program will be an essential complement. This is because both cleaning and inspection usually happen during the same visit.

Widespread adoption of NASSCO’s new standards will elevate the quality level of building sewer and drain assessment. For system owners, targeting the right sector of their system to prioritize the assessment work is an art. NASSCO’s various certification programs certify individuals to provide the data and the science behind the best decisions made in asset management.

Carl Marc-Aurele is vice president at Formadrain and chair of the NASSCO Lateral and Building Pipe Committee.