While it's encouraging that the 8th Ward's portion of work in The Storm Water Master Plan has been completed, it's effectiveness remains to be seen. It's important to understand that the cause of our flood issues are twofold:
- street flooding during moderate to heavy rain events and
- basement flooding and seepage due to a surcharge in the sanitary sewer system.
According to the City, this surcharge is caused by excessive infiltration of groundwater during heavy rain and winter melt off. These events cause the sanitary system to fill with water faster than it can drain away, thus backing up into basements and filling foundation drain tile that connects to the system. For example, during the heavy storms of July 23-24, 2010, the corner of Dover and Pennsylvania was flooded. The extent of the flooding caused the water level to extend past the sidewalk and onto my property by over 5 feet. The sanitary system filled to a level approximately 18" above my basement slab. This means that without my standpipe, I would have had 18" of water in my basement. As it was -- I still experienced seepage through my slab and around my foundation.
This marked the third consecutive year that I had water in my basement due to a surcharge in the sanitary system during rain events. What is worth noting is that the rate of drainage is significantly slower than that of the storm system. While the street flooding subsided by 10:00 am, the surcharge in the sanitary system did not recede to a level below my basement slab until 5:00 pm. I continued to take water long after the street was clear. It is because of this that I have reservations about the effectiveness of the new flood control work that was completed on Marshall this past Fall 2010. While the new system will probably reduce or alleviate the street flooding, I don't believe that it will have much of an impact on the sanitary sewer problem.
In articles that I posted in November, 2009 and January, 2010,
I described my thoughts on the effectiveness of the Storm Water Master Plan and the steps that should be taken to identify and correct the problems with the sanitary system. These included performing flow monitoring and infiltration inflow analysis. This would help the City identify areas of excessive infiltration and allow the City to take the necessary steps to correct them.
At a recent City Council meeting, Tim Oakley, Director of Public Works and Engineering was asked to describe the sewer work that was occurring along Wolf and Rand Rds. He stated that The MWRD was lining its interceptor sewer to reduce infiltration.
I e-mailed Mr. Oakley, inquiring if this procedure was a possible solution to the problems in our ward. His response:
This marked the third consecutive year that I had water in my basement due to a surcharge in the sanitary system during rain events. What is worth noting is that the rate of drainage is significantly slower than that of the storm system. While the street flooding subsided by 10:00 am, the surcharge in the sanitary system did not recede to a level below my basement slab until 5:00 pm. I continued to take water long after the street was clear. It is because of this that I have reservations about the effectiveness of the new flood control work that was completed on Marshall this past Fall 2010. While the new system will probably reduce or alleviate the street flooding, I don't believe that it will have much of an impact on the sanitary sewer problem.
In articles that I posted in November, 2009 and January, 2010,
I described my thoughts on the effectiveness of the Storm Water Master Plan and the steps that should be taken to identify and correct the problems with the sanitary system. These included performing flow monitoring and infiltration inflow analysis. This would help the City identify areas of excessive infiltration and allow the City to take the necessary steps to correct them.
At a recent City Council meeting, Tim Oakley, Director of Public Works and Engineering was asked to describe the sewer work that was occurring along Wolf and Rand Rds. He stated that The MWRD was lining its interceptor sewer to reduce infiltration.
I e-mailed Mr. Oakley, inquiring if this procedure was a possible solution to the problems in our ward. His response:
He stated that the infiltration rate in our sanitary system exceeded the base flow rate by a factor of 10! This says it all. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the major cause of the surcharge we experience.
Mr. Oakley also stated that the City has budgeted $125,000 to perform the testing I described in my posts. This is a significant amount. He further detailed the various procedures the City could take to correct the problems when areas of infiltration are identified. In a follow up e-mail Mr. Oakley stated that the consultant contract would be presented to The City Council around the end of March and that the full scope would be defined then.
This is, without a doubt, the most encouraging news I've heard regarding our problems. The City has acknowledged the problem and is taking steps to identify and correct it.
Mayor Moylan has maintained that infrastructure upgrades and repairs should be a priority for this City and I agree. Aging and inadequate infrastructure affects our property values and our ability to attract business.
Some residents may think that, with the recent acceleration of the storm sewer work in our ward, the problem is solved and we won. I would suggest that that work was merely the first step in a long process to correct all the flooding problems. In my article of November 2nd, 2009, I note that the sanitary sewer issues present a potential health problem.
As shown on the City's website, their position on this issue is that the burden should be borne by the property owner by recommending that the homeowner invest in a costly flood control or overhead sanitary system. The cost of a reliable flood control system is around $6000 , not including electrical hook up or landscape restoration. Even then, the system is vulnerable to power outages and the homeowner must further invest in a generator or battery back-up systems. I strongly disagree with this position. I believe the City has a responsibility to ensure that the infrastructure that they provide performs properly. The only way to avoid being connected to the City's sanitary system is to use a septic field or an outhouse, neither of which is legal.
In my article of November 9, 2009, I note the sanitary sewer issues present a potential health problem. This in itself should be a concern to all residents.
In my article of November 9, 2009, I note the sanitary sewer issues present a potential health problem. This in itself should be a concern to all residents.
As a resident of the 8th Ward, I am very concerned about this issue. As a candidate for Alderman, I would make this one of my highest priorities.
I urge all the residents to stay engaged in this issue until all the flood issues in our ward are resolved.
I urge all the residents to stay engaged in this issue until all the flood issues in our ward are resolved.
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