Monday, March 06, 2000
Waste plan may reduce overflows
Downspouts to be taken out of sewer
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LAKESIDE PARK — If a pilot program by Sanitation District No. 1 works, homeowners in this city may have fewer basement backups and sewer overflows in the streets.
Under the pilot project, the district will pay to disconnect the downspouts of 90 homes from the sanitary sewer system. Then, the district will collect data to see if the disconnections reduce the overflow.
Officials will hold meetings at 2 and 7 p.m. today at Lakeside Christian Church for homeowners who were selected to participate in the program.
Since the district took over treating waste of the majority of the cities in Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties in 1995, officials have been working on a regional facilities plan.
This includes building two treatment plants — one in Boone and another in Campbell County — and an aggressive renovation of the system.
Sewer lines in Lakeside Park have been repaired but there is still overflow when it rains. Officials say the water is coming from private connections to the sewage system.
Jeff Eger, sanitation district general manager, said the average dry-weather flow in the area is 150,000 gallons per day, but during last month's heavy rain the flow reached 2.2 million gallons.
“That's just unacceptable,” he said. “It is against why we exist and it needs to be fixed. State and federal regulations require us to do it, as well.”
It is illegal in Kentucky to directly connect downspouts to the sewer system but many people do it. The sanitation district currently does not enforce the no-connection policy. If the district chooses, Mr. Eger said, it could fine residents or shut off the water if fines aren't paid.
Tony Helton, a Lakeside Park City Council member, said basement backups have been a problem for a long time. “Every time we get a down burst we have problems. At this point anything they could do to get it out of there would be good.”
If the disconnections help reduce the flow, the sanitation district probably will require them in all the communities it serves, although it was not clear who would pay.
“I really doubt the district will embrace a policy to pay 100 percent,” Mr. Eger said.
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Waste plan may reduce overflows
