Sanitary Sewer Improvement Plan

How Wheaton Is Addressing Sanitary Sewer Backup Issues

The City of Wheaton recognizes that sanitary sewer backups are a prime concern of Wheaton residents and their quality of life. To address this problem, the City of Wheaton and the Wheaton Sanitary District developed a long-range plan that will ultimately replace 3.5 miles and repair more than 44 miles of sanitary sewer pipes in Wheaton.

Read on to understand what is causing the backups and how the City and the Wheaton Sanitary District are addressing the issue.

The Cause

Because of the age and condition of the City’s sanitary sewer system, stormwater runoff and groundwater can enter the sanitary sewer system in some locations. When this happens, certain segments of the sanitary sewer system exceed the capacity of the sewer pipe, resulting in overflows and backups. This can occur in the form of backups into the lower levels of buildings, out of manholes and onto the ground. This situation is referred to as a sanitary sewer overflow.

In addition to being a problem for property owners, sanitary sewer overflows also violate the Federal Clean Water Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing rules and regulations for sewer system operators to follow to reduce and/or eliminate overflows. The City and Wheaton Sanitary District’s major goal is to begin addressing sanitary sewer overflows prior to the EPA finalizing its regulations and imposing a timeframe for compliance.

Addressing the Problem

In 2005, the Wheaton Sanitary District commissioned an engineering study to develop a wet weather plan for their wastewater treatment plant and the sanitary sewer collection system feeding into the plant. The City agreed to partner with the District and share in the cost of the study because 65 percent of the City’s sanitary sewer collection system feeds into the District’s plant. The result of the study was the development of the Sanitary Sewer Capacity Assurance Capital Improvement Plan to reduce sanitary sewer overflows.

Sanitary Sewer Capacity Assurance Capital Improvement Plan

The Sanitary Sewer Capacity Assurance Capital Improvement Plan is a prioritized listing of sewer pipe and pump station upgrades that will be made to increase the sanitary sewer system’s capacity during wet weather conditions. The plan includes both structural upgrades and inflow reduction alternatives.

The complete capital improvement plan costs approximately $25.6 million and includes more than 14 miles of new sanitary sewer pipes, approximately 81 miles of sanitary sewer rehabilitation and one pump station upgrade. The City’s portion of this plan costs approximately $5.7 million and includes 3.5 miles of new sanitary sewer pipes, more than 44 miles of sanitary sewer rehabilitation for inflow and infiltration reduction, and one pump station upgrade.

The City’s Capital Improvement Plan is comprised of work in two areas: structural upgrades, and sewer system investigation and rehabilitation. These are interrelated because where sanitary sewers can be rehabilitated, fewer structural upgrades are necessary.

Structural upgrades involve replacing sanitary sewer pipes in seven areas in Wheaton with larger diameter pipes or installing parallel sewers to increase the capacity in problem areas. One sanitary sewer lift station also will be improved. To see a schedule and map of locations for these upgrades, see the accompanying Structural Upgrade Map (pdf) and Structural Upgrade Schedule (pdf).

Also, a sanitary sewer evaluation survey (SSES) will identify specific locations where stormwater or groundwater are entering the sewer system using methods such as smoke testing, building inspections, closed-circuit televising and dye testing. These areas will be rehabilitated through the repair of both public and private portions of the sanitary sewer system.

Program Summary

The Sanitary Sewer Capacity Assurance Capital Improvement Plan is costly and is estimated to take 10 years to fully complete. In the interim, residents who experience sanitary sewer backups can take advantage of the Overhead Sewer Private Property Protection Program.