Lateral links are used to connect Property Connections elements (e.g. houses and other sources) to gravity elements in a model without the need to divide the downstream link elements i.e. conduits and channels) into separate links in the model. This can significantly reduce computational effort since laterals are not included in hydraulic calculations. Laterals merely connect a property connection to the hydraulic network for the purpose of loading.

If the Lateral is being used to connect to directly to a link element, then a Tap node must be placed at the connection point.

Laterals can be automatically placed between Property Connection elements and the hydraulic network using LoadBuilder and selecting Property Connection Load Data as the Available LoadBuilder Method (see LoadBuilder help). They can also be created manually or be imported using ModelBuilder if laterals are contained in the data source.

While some physical dimensions such as diameter and length can be assigned to laterals, they are not used in hydraulic calculations. If the user wants to hydraulically design the lateral pipe, the pipe should be represented in the model as a conduit.