Motion Adopting City Council Policy - Overhead Sewer Program

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E. INFRASTRUCTURE 1. Decatur Sanitary Sewer Backup Prevention Program Background During wet weather conditions,the City's sanitary sewer system can become filled with rainwater and groundwater. This extra water fills the sewer and can cause sewer water to backup into private property such as basements and crawl spaces. As the City takes steps toward removing the extra water in the sewers, a program has been established to assist residents with properties prone to sewer back-ups. This program is known as the overhead sewer backup prevention program; using a backup prevention device and an outfall pipe, the chance of sewer backup is reduced significantly. It is the policy of the City of Decatur to encourage the use of proven sanitary sewer backup prevention methods to reduce or eliminate the damage to private property caused by wet weather induced sanitary sewer backups. On July 20, 2009, the City Council authorized a City contribution toward the installation of overhead sewer backup prevention systems to provide backup protection for City residences that experience wet weather backups. The authorization provided a 75% City contribution to install an overhead sewer in a private residence to a maximum total cost of$7,500. The Sanitary District of Decatur informally agreed to reimburse the City for 25% of the total cost. To encourage greater use of this proven prevention method and provide better access to residents connected to City sewers that experience wet weather induced backups,the City will, from and after the date of this City Council Policy Statement, now offer a 100% contribution to install an overhead sewer in a private residence to a maximum of $10,000 for each installation. The Sanitary District has agreed to continue its informal offer of 25%reimbursement to the City for each installation. This policy outlines the general requirements for the approval of City contributions toward overhead sewers in private residences. Requirements 1. The Public Works Department will prioritize properties residing within areas identified with high inflow and infiltration into the sanitary sewer system. 2. The applicant's house must be connected to the City's sanitary sewer system. 3. The applicant must own the house that will receive the overhead sewer. 4. The applicant must have experienced a wet weather backup or be in an area with excessive wet weather sewer flows. 5. The maximum City contribution will be $10,000.