Is your downspout illegal? Whitefish Bay might take a look to prevent flooding

Whitefish Bay - It's illegal to have downspouts connected to the sanitary sewer, but an estimated 15 percent of the houses in the village have that situation.

About 30 percent of residents indicated their downspouts went into the ground in a 2010 survey, Trustee Jim Roemer told the Village Board Monday night. Consultants estimate that half of those might be connected to the sanitary sewer, adding a large volume of clear water to the sanitary sewer during heavy rains and periods of run off and contributing to basement backups.

Village Engineer Dan Naze said putting an existing intern to work in a downspout inspection program would allow the community to determine how many illegal connections exist and then develop a program to disconnect them. When houses are sold, the downspouts are inspected during a code compliance inspection, but otherwise, nothing is done.

Various consultants have recommended disconnecting the downspouts as a way to reduce basement flooding, but Trustee Jay Miller said the village should proceed with caution as the disconnections actually might cause other flooding.

Currently, the storm sewer system is too small for much additional water, meaning the streets would likely be the repository for the water coming from the downspouts. In some areas, the streets have flooded over sidewalks and into yards, causing basement flooding during storms.

Miller wants to make sure that won't be a byproduct of disconnecting downspouts.

Naze's program would start with identifying potential disconnections.

"We will see below grade and possibly be able to see if there is a connection to the sanitary sewer," Naze said.

The information would be stored in the GIS system as part of the program.

Naze said it would take 10 to 12 weeks for the intern to get through the village and collect the information. It must be done while there is no snow on the ground and before the trees and shrubs leaf out.

Resident Robert Crawford said the village should have a plan to keep water from going up over sidewalks and onto lawns and possibly into houses if disconnections are made. He suggested using water pumps to pump excess water in the streets toward Wilson Drive and the river when necessary.