Clearwater Inspection Info.

In response to the current Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) requirements concerning the traces of lead in a couple homes within the Village and on-going issues with the overloading of our sewer system, the Village of Durand will begin scheduling in-home, Clearwater Inspections of every residence within Village limits, beginning Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Homeowners will be contacted by Dakota Plumbing, 815-449-2481, on behalf of the Village, to schedule a time that is convenient. Inspections should take approximately 5-30 minutes.

The purpose of this inspection is to ensure the safety of our residents, the sustainability of our utility system in the most cost-effective manner and prevent sewer backups. The plumber will also be documenting every water service and the material type (i.e., copper or plastic) to satisfy another IEPA requirement.

This ordinance is in place to protect our wastewater collection system from being overloaded:

Our system should only be collecting what our water system puts out (average=93,000 gallons per day) 

 On event of a rainfall, we frequently exceed 1,000,000 gallons into a system that is only designed for a max daily flow of 450,000 gallons and a monthly average of 350,000 gallons per day. The highest flows being 3,000,000 gallons in a 24-hour period, which is unsustainable. 

Why does the system overload during heavy rains? 

1. Sump Pumps and/or Downspouts: One of the main causes of this infiltration of the system during heavy rain are sump pumps and/or downspouts connected to our sanitary sewer. We understand that many homeowners don’t even realize that their home is connected in this manner. Homeowners will be responsible for disconnecting sump pumps from our wastewater system at their expense, as this has been a Village Ordinance since 1977.  This shall be done via the plumber of their choice, themselves, or the plumber that is doing the inspection, within 30 days of the initial inspection.  The re-inspection will be scheduled at the time of the initial inspection if the property is in violation of the sump pump ordinance. This process will help us identify and correct the issue in a quick and the most cost-effective manner. 

 

1. French Drains: Some homes within the Village have French drain systems that tie directly into a home’s sanitary line. French drains are more costly. If the home was built in 1977 or earlier, the village will pay to have this problem rectified. If the home was built after 1977, homeowners will be responsible for correcting the issue at their expense. This shall be done via the plumber of their choice, themselves, or the plumber that is doing the inspection, within 30 days of the initial inspection. Re-inspection will be scheduled at the time of initial inspection if the property is in violation of Village Ordinance. 

If the infiltration issues cannot be resolved, the village will have to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant which will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.  We wish to keep the costs to our residents as low as possible, as always. 

We thank you for your cooperation, and if you have any questions, please contact Aaron Kahl @ 815-248-2201. 

 

Sincerely, 

Aaron Kahl 

Supt. of Public Works 

Village of Durand