August 2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

From: Kieran Fahey <kfahey@southbendin.gov> To: Elicia Feasel <efeasel@co.st joseph.in.us>, Bob Wolosin <rwolosin@gmail.... CC: Eric Horvath <eho rvath @south bend in.gov>, Kara Boyles <kboyles@southbend i... Date: 8/17/2017 2:51 PM Subject: RE: Basement floods in East Wayne St Historic District Hi Elicia, Bob, In 2017 the City has received 378 total calls from across the entire City regarding water in basements. 10 of these came from East Wayne St. and almost all were from a storm event around July 4th. Despite the relatively low numbers we are absolutely fully aware of the issues in the locality. _ We_have (and are currently) CCTVing the area's sewers. The crew was there Tuesday and yesterday of this week. We are deploying a sensor network consisting of smart sewer sensors to better understand the hydraulic behavior of the area and reveal the hotspots. I have spent three days there in the last fortnight selecting the exact locations for these. We are making the area a pilot study for inlet restrictors. I've been meeting with our sewer department, (maintenance, construction, asset management folks), EmNet (the smart sewer firm), and talking with peers in other regional city's regarding this work. This will target the largest offenders of excess inflow. We will roll this out very soon. I'm very excited and optimistic between the sensoring (data gathering) and the pilot inlet restrictor program. The city does offer a "Basement Valve Program". This provides a 50% reimbursement, up to a total reimbursement of $1500 for the installation of a back flow preventer. Even if someone has one and it doesn't work they may replace it via this program. Maintenance must be performed on a regular schedule in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. A properly operating backwater valve allows water to only go in one direction (out), preventing sewage and stormwater from entering the home. I personally walked all the area's streets this week and was disappointed to see how many houses still have their downspouts connected to the sewer. These connections are often the cause of basement flooding. Or may be the cause of one flooding ones neighbors basement! There simply isn't the capacity in the system to handle the roof rainwater and in storm events the water is merely being transported via the downspouts to the basement level. Common homeowner tasks to mitigate flooding: Check downspouts to make sure they are not still connected. Make sure sump pumps and the foundation drainage system around the home are working properly. Keep gutters free of debris. Check the grading around the home to make sure water is directed away from, and not toward, the structure. Fill in any low spots in the yard/near the house that may allow water to pond. Never pour grease, paint or other thick liquids into sinks or drains. Avoid flushing items not suitable for sanitary sewer. There are many (beautiful!) trees in the area and root invasion in private laterals should be tackled by homeowners (e.g. rota -rooting). Kind regards, Kieran