If You Live in This Area, Inspectors Are Coming to Check Your Sumps and Drains

Staff from RJN Group Inc., the consultants who have been working with the city to solve the flooding problem, will be conducting house-to-house inspections in southwest Elmhurst beginning next month.

Southwest Elmhurst, along with other areas of the city, historically has been plagued with sewer backups during heavy rains. RJN has determined that stormwater getting into the sanitary sewers overloads the system and causes the backups.

"As a key component of ongoing sanitary sewer evaluations, the City of Elmhurst is actively identifying locations where stormwater enters the sanitary sewer system," according to a press release from City Hall. "As part of this program, the engineering firm RJN Group Inc. will be performing residential building sewer inspections starting in early November."

Crews will be charged with inspecting homes in the "study area," which is bordered roughly by York Road on the east, Madison on the north, Salt Creek on the west and an area south of Butterfield on the south. (See the attached map.) Only neighborhoods with a history of sanitary backups are included. 

Crews are looking for basement storm pumps that may be connected to the sanitary sewers, and other outside sources, such as downspouts, area drains and driveway drains, that might be contributing rain water to the sanitary sewer system.

According to the RJN website, inspectors will need to enter the home, and the inspection process is expected to take 15 to 30 minutes. If the original inspection doesn't yield clear results, some homes will require follow-up dye testing to identify areas where clear water enters the sanitary sewer system.

Residents whose homes are in the inspection area will receive a notice by mail from the city asking them to make an appointment with RJN Group for the inspection. The testing period is expected to run through mid-December.

It is not immediately clear what types of remedies will be needed to stop the flow of storm water into the sanitary system, but an informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at City Hall, 209 N. York St. More information also can be found on the city's website.