I have a broken water line under a cedar area marked out by white flags. It has leaked about 14k gallons a month for the last two months. As you can see there isn't really anywhere to relocate the water line to without tearing up the driveway. I am considering hydro boring a line under the tree. Do cedars have large taproots? How deep and how far does the root flair of a tree this size typically spread? I guess the real question is how deep do I need to go to have a good chance of missing the roots?
Family and friends I talk to their first question is are you going to cut the tree down to repair the line. Heck no. For one thing it is the only mature tree on the front of my property and for another it would probably cost as much to remove the tree as repairing the driveway if I have to rip up the driveway to run a new water line.
by metalwoodplastic
3 Comments
Is this your lateral?
A single mature evergreen would make me nervous this close to my home. They typically have shallow roots that spread out wide. They gain stability by intertwining their roots with those of other evergreens and by being shielded from wind by being in groves, not standing alone. Just something to consider when deciding how to move forward with this repair.
Most trees do not have taproots, especially planted ones