City Front
Storm Sewer Plans
Yvonne Nabors

Is your basement flooding or sewer line backing up during a heavy rain? Wonder what the city of Milford is doing to correct the problem and how to keep your head above water in the meantime? Read one family's first hand experience and recommendations for coping.

For the 3rd time in as many years, the main sewer line in our basement began gushing in gallons of muddy rain water and sewage. We were ready this time with 2 pumps diverting the water out the basement window and into the back yard. Unfortunately, the water was coming in faster than the small pumps could manage and in less than 30 minutes the water was 4 inches deep. Soon it was 6 inches and it seemed hopeless. Thankfully the Milford fire department arrived and began pumping out water after first ensuring the basement was safe. We, of course, didn't think about the deadly electrical current that could be running through the water from the appliances. The rain slowed. The water eventually subsided leaving behind a horrible stench, piles of damaged items, and an inch of ugly black sludge.

I sat in tears in our living room worried about the safety of my family, devastated over the thousands of dollars lost, and already exhausted just knowing what it was going to take to clean up the mess. Then, I called city council member Lou Bishop at his home to express my anger and frustration with the city of Milford.

That phone call turned out to be a crucial step towards understanding what the city is planning and already doing to alleviate the flooding problems. Lou encouraged me to attend a city council meeting and voice my concerns. He provided contact information to other city personnel that could help with hauling away our damaged items, understanding the structure of the sewer system on our street and calling a special meeting with various department heads to get more information.

Did you know...

• The older neighborhoods in Milford were built without a storm run-off system. In other words, storm water doesn't have anywhere to go so it runs into low-lying areas or basements. This is the primary cause of flooding in the Milford area. The federal government has mandated that all cities have a storm run off system and Milford has been working for 2 years to develop a Storm Water Utility to pay for improvements. The city has created a Storm Water Master Plan which outlines the projects necessary to update older systems and install new systems where needed. The plan is expected to take 10 years to complete.
• Older homes have down spouts that connect to private sewer lines. The city sewer system was not built to handle storm water and wastewater. During a heavy rain, the wastewater system is overwhelmed and can cause back up into homes. This is why the wastewater department conducts smoke tests in various parts of the city. These smoke tests identify potential connections to the city sewer system that don't comply with the city ordinance.
• The city has a Wastewater Maintenance Program that began January 2003. This is a routine maintenance program of the city's system that checks for tree roots or debris in the line and corrects the problem. The department has completed the maintenance of targeted problem areas and is planning to complete the rest of the city in 2004. In addition to the regular maintenance program, the wastewater department has the ability to video tape a specific sewer line to look for breakages or problems that cannot be seen above ground.

Although the city is working to resolve the flooding problems a long-term solution is years away. So what should you do in the meantime? Here are our recommendations:

1. Notify the city every time you have a flooding problem due to storm water or sewer back-up. This information helps the city to identify problem areas that may need to be addressed in the Storm Water Master Plan or the Wastewater Maintenance Program. Special funding or grants may be available, but only if the city can demonstrate a need. The city can provide assistance or put you in contact with the services available to help with clean up, removing damaged goods, etc. The city has many resources available, but you won't get the benefit of any without asking. You can call a member of city council or the city manager's office. Contact numbers can be found on the City of Milford website or the quarterly city newsletter.

2. Stay Informed. Attend a City Council or Storm Water Advisory committee meeting. Find out first hand what the city of Milford is doing to permanently resolve flooding problems. You have the opportunity to voice your concerns and establish contact with various council members or department heads.

• City Council meetings are the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Can't attend the meeting? Meetings are video taped and run on channel 17 the 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday at 10p, and Saturday at 8p. Meeting minutes are posted to the city's website.
• Storm water advisory committee meeting every other Tuesday opposite the City Council meetings. (Sometimes these are cancelled so call city hall first.)

3. Follow up. If a council member or other city official commits to doing something, follow up to ensure it gets done. Ask about the status of wastewater maintenance that may be scheduled for your neighborhood. Ask for the results of any testing that is conducted. Were there any problem areas found? What is being done to correct breakages and when?

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