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nUTU <br /> U d <br /> PEACE <br /> r <br /> r <br /> X � R <br /> ISd5 <br /> Office of the Mayor <br /> News Release <br /> Monday,April 3, 2006 <br /> Contact: Carl Littrell, RE, City Engineer, 235-5937 <br /> Sign Up Now for Downspout Disconnect Program <br /> Mayor Stephen J. Luecke announced that the City will be offering a Free <br /> Downspout Disconnect Program this summer for the third consecutive year. In the past <br /> two years,the program has been successful in disconnecting the downspouts of 320 <br /> homes in South Bend! The Department of Public Works, Division of Engineering is <br /> again providing this "environmentally friendly" service for the residents of South Bend. <br /> A downspout disconnection can cost as much as $200, but it is being offered at <br /> no charge to residents who live in homes with downspouts that go directly into the <br /> ground and connect to the sewer system. "I encourage residents to take advantage of this <br /> program which helps reduce sewer overflow into our river," stated Mayor Luecke. <br /> The City of South Bend utilizes a"combined sewer system" in many areas of the <br /> City. When older homes were built, downspouts emptied rainwater directly into the <br /> sewer system and as a result, sewers received both wastewater and rainwater. A single <br /> home can deposit as much as 27,000 gallons of rainwater per year into the combined <br /> sewer system. Consequently,heavy rainfalls and melting snow can cause flooding, sewer <br /> backup into basements, and sewer odors that escape into the air through downspouts <br /> rather than remaining underground. <br /> -more- <br />