Some older homes still have gutters with downspouts illegally connected directly into the sanitary sewer system and homeowners aren’t even aware of it. Please check your home’s gutter drainage system. It may sound as though it does no harm, but it does.

When it rains, the water from your gutters drain into the sanitary sewer system and because our sewer system was not designed to handle this extra flow of water from all the homes still connected, the water and sewer contaminants overflow the sewer system and end up in people’s basements. The overflow can also enter into the street’s gutters and ditches, possibly making its’ way to nearby creeks and the river.

Economically, it ultimately costs all of us more when clean rainwater is added to waste water that is sent to the treatment plant. All of it (including the “clean” rainwater) is processed and the cost is passed along to residents in the form of increased sewer bills.

If your downspouts are connected to the sewer system they should be disconnected immediately. Disconnecting is a simple and inexpensive procedure. Cut the downspout a few inches above the ground connection, cut the portion remaining in the ground down to ground level and plug or cap the ground opening. Add an elbow to your downspout that directs water away from your home. To ensure your own basement remains dry it is recommended to extend your drain piping a distance of 10 feet from your home.