Up to 90 percent of the homes in Tempe could be at high risk of major sewage backups in the near future. After a recent pipeline break that released several million gallons of water and closed much of a major freeway across the city, officials reported that deteriorating sewage pipes in the area could potentially lead to similarly troublesome leaks or ruptures. Pipes used to connect residences to the city’s public sewer systems between 1940 and 1970 are now past the age of their average lifespans, says Samuel Ariaratnam, a professor and chair of the Fulton Schools construction engineering program. Everything from small cracks to extensive collapses of those older pipelines are now an evident threat, says Ariaratnam, who was recently appointed to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s pipeline advisory committee. The news was also reported in U.S. News & World Report, KTAR News, Claims Journal, USA News Lab, Your Valley, KJZZ News (NPR), The Miner, Tempe in Motion, Arizona Daily Sun, News Break, Daily Independent, Underground Construction