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OPINIONS
December 2007
Public Notice
by Tom Getzendanner, Summit Councilman
When it rains or snows, pavement such as driveways, sidewalks and streets prevent moisture from naturally soaking into the ground and
replenishing our water-table.
Instead, surface water picks up debris, chemicals, dirt and
other pollutants before entering our storm sewers. All together
acres are served by 83 miles of roads, 30 miles of underground pipes, and 2,705 catch-basins.
A completely different sanitary sewer system treats an average of 1˝ million gallons per day of wastewater. It has a design capacity of
6 MGD, and during wet weather events the “surge” sometimes exceeds this limit. Why?
Because rain water illegally enters our sanitary system, creating undue stress and occasionally raw sewage backup. Especially since a building
boom in town has created more blacktop than ever.
Inflow comes from improperly installed Sump Pumps, underground Roof Downspout leaders, basement Cellar Drains, interconnected
storm/sanitary sewer Overflows, and cracked Sewer Pipes.
Each of us could alleviate the problem if we discharged our sump pump onto the ground instead of a washbasin sink. Or redirected our roof
gutter downspouts to flush onto open grass. Or created a “rain garden” that irrigates itself naturally with runoff.
Other remedies already underway include a 5yr citywide
program to replace the grills on all catch-basins in
insists that every new construction add retention basins “on-site.” And uncapped cleanouts, shared junction boxes, and pipe liners are being
corrected.
These are unglamorous expenditures compared to Tennis Courts and Artificial Turf playing fields, but much more critical to controlling long-term
operational costs and protecting our environment.
An aerial flyover just updated our topographical map for the first time in 30yrs, and some of our 13 Watersheds are being redesigned. Council
will look closely at the whole topic of Stormwater Management in the coming months, and decide whether additional steps are necessary to retrofit
Summit’s sewers for the 21st century.
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