Inflow & Infiltration

What is the impact of unpolluted water entering a sanitary sewer system?

The sewer servicing your home is a sanitary sewer. It is designed to transport and dispose of wastewater which has impurities that require treatment prior to release to the environment. The treatment of sewage not only protects the environment but more importantly prevents the spread of disease within a community. The quantity of water flowing through the sewer system and treated at the wastewater treatment plant servicing your community is proportional to the cost of operation.

Unpolluted water can enter the sewer through sump pumps, floor drains, roof drains, heat pump discharges, etc... Although these unpolluted discharges are illegal, many people are unaware of this and have utilized the sanitary sewer as a convenient disposal option. Unfortunately as more and more people discharge unpolluted water to the sewer the daily sewage flow increases. Increased flow results in increased power costs, increased repair cost and most importantly increased capital costs.

If too many people make illegal connections to the sewer, especially sump pump connections, the sewer system may not be able to treat the sewage flows properly or the sewer system may overflow during wet weather. When this occurs repeatedly, regulatory agencies will require the sewer system undergo major overhauls. These types of upgrades are sized based on sewage flow and cost millions of dollars. As senior government funding decreases, the portion of the capital costs recovered directly from users increases; this has a significant impact on the cost of providing sewer service.

What should I do now?

  • Disconnect and reroute sump pumps to a natural discharge location,
  • Reroute roof drains if connected to the sewer,
  • Plug or reroute floor drains if connected to the sewer,
  • Redirect heat pump discharges if connected to the sewer,
  • Contact the Director of Public Works at (902) 667-3029 if you have any questions or concerns.