359 Degrees

From: Jerry Mellone [mailto:gmellone@att.net]

To: Jeff Speaker

This email is a formal request by an alderman for the city staff and aldermanic committees to consider a topic of interest to that alderman on behalf of the residents.  It is addressed to the Mayor in his role as chief administrative officer so that the appropriate staff members can review the topic, discuss it with the alderman for clarification, place it on committee agendas, etc.

1.  Create a program that inspects and eliminates sump pump discharge into the sanitary system.  This could be accomplished with a voluntary program with instructions to residents and businesses to verify compliance and have laws in place to fine those who do not comply with this program.

Connecting sump pump ejection hoses to the sanitary sewer has never been legal.  Connecting foundation drains was legal until 1954 when the plumbing codes were changed to prohibit it.  Brookfield did inspect for this as part of the flood systems improvements during the last decade and found about a dozen homes in violation out of several thousand. This is common in older parts of Milwaukee, but given the relatively recent construction on Brookfield homes, I doubt this is common here.

In the days following the June storm, I visited two houses and a condo that would have benefited from such a device.  Of course, you still have the problem of where to put the water you pump out.  The June storm filled every ditch, waterway, storm sewer, etc. past capacity so dumping in more water would not have been immediately possible. 

2.  Have staff meet with WE Energies and arrive at solutions to avoid power outages.  Loops in the design of their system could provide back ups to areas susceptible to power outages. 

This was done after the 1997-1998 storms.  Since a common cause of power failure is tree limbs breaking or shorting out power lines, it resulted in aggressive tree trimming by WE Energies.  Remember seeing the yellow Asplundh trucks?  Many residents complained when the trees were pruned, even when they clearly surrounded a power line and posed a danger.  Proper placement of trees in the first place so that they would not grow into the power lines would be a better solution, but we’re way past that now.

3.  Encourage and offer incentives to new construction that utilize on site storage and use of rain water.  Rainwater can be stored under parking areas and on site for use on site.  Web sites such as http://rainwatermanagement.com/ and www.ads.com along with others show rain water storage techniques and uses of this water for irrigation, laundries, truck and car wash, flushing toilets etc. This practice will help the overloading of our sanitary system as well as augment our potable water supply.   Brookfield should set an example by utilizing these techniques in the construction of its schools and facilities. 

On-site storage is already being done in Brookfield.  Examples include the Johnson Bank at North and Lilly and the new Schlossman’s car dealership on Capitol and Brookfield.  

This option is gaining attention as a water conservation method as well as a flood control mechanism.

4.  For those homes still affected by sewer backup, Brookfield should help the residents isolate those problem homes and utilize back water valves to stop the sewer backup.  In-line back water valves, due to design flaws, can add to the problem because the flapper tends to trap debris rendering these valves ineffective.  There is an automatic operating back water valve manufactured by J. R. Smith Co. that utilizes the pressure created in the line to activate a stainless steel knife gate that stops the back flow when the sewer is in flood stage.  This device automatically stops the back up and opens a full port line when the flood subsides.  This device has proven effective for over 10 years and gives the home owners peace of mind that their home will no longer flood due to sewer back up.

What does “help the residents” mean? 

5.  If storm water from a sump pump is the cause of a flooded basement due to power outages, there are battery operated sump pumps that can be installed to alleviate this problem.  These require a well-maintained battery. 

Battery operated sump pumps are available many home improvement stores.  They are 12 volt pumps sometimes used a bilge pumps on motorboats.  A large battery can operate them for several hours.

If the home owner is not inclined to maintain this equipment, they could install a city water activated sump pump that works like an aspirator during a power failure.  City water pressure creates a siphon on the sump pump discharge and automatically dumps the water to grade during a power failure.  This is manufactured by Base Pump.

I have seen these water powered pumps at home improvement stores but have no personal experience with them.  They have no moving  pump parts (it uses the Venturi effect) but they do have check valves that can fail.  They are considered highly reliable, but not perfect.

http://www.senecaplumbing.com/backup-sump-pumps.html 

6.  Brookfield could also purchase gasoline or diesel powered pumps.  These pumps could be used to pump out problem areas during power failures and high event storms. 

The Sewer District has several large gas powered pumps.  They are deployed during large rain events based on past experience and on resident complaint.  The intake hose is lowered into a manhole in a flooded area and the outgoing hose drains into the nearby ditch.  If the water being drained includes sewage, this is considered a negative environmental event and must be reported to the DNR.  If a city or sewer district has too many of these events, the DNR can force corrective action, levy fines, etc.  The DNR has engineering standards to decide how “bad” the event is, whether it can reasonably be prevented from happening again, etc. 

The Dept. of Public Works should have a disaster plan in place before we have another event like we had in June. 

A discussion of the June floods is already planned for the next meeting of the Sewer Board and Board of Public Works.  That will be on Tuesday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. 

There are several other possible approaches:

1) Hung  (suspended, overhead) plumbing.  This is in use in Brookfield and Elm Grove.  It is expensive, but effective.

2) Many roadside ditches have been replaced with a culvert  (ditch enclosure).  It makes lawn care easier, but has less capacity (the round pipe is smaller than the original ditch) and doesn't collect water for it's entire length (it's closed, not open everywhere like a ditch).  Those ditches could be restored.  Better stormwater collection and flow but less pretty for the owner.  Where's the balance? 

3) Remove obstructions to water flow.  Inspect every yard and remove trees, shrubs, flowerbeds, sheds, fences, etc. that are in the intended path of the water flow.  Of course, that path is seldom obvious and is only occasionally protected by a city stormwater easement, making it legally difficult, not to mention incredibly heavy handed, to make these changes.  So how do you motivate a landowner to improve his property to allow stormwater flow to benefit someone else?

4) Change the design standards.  The current stormwater system (ditches, culverts, etc.) is designed to handle a "10 year event" (10% likelihood of happening in any given year.  Remember, people win that 50 million to 1 lottery all the time).  It could be changed to some higher standard.  I am told costs escalate very rapidly and what do you do about all the current "undersized" facilities?

Finally, there is the real “third rail” of sewer policy.  Many of the sewer pipes (laterals) connecting the house to the sewer in the street are defective.  Tree roots, poor soils, bad installation, etc. can make them leak like crazy.  Besides the sewage leaking out, they let rainwater leak in. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to add that Ald. Jerry Mellone and his family, including Ald. Lisa Mellone, are the owners of Northland Sales, Inc. of New Berlin, a wholesale plumbing supplier who sells many of the devices listed here.  

This means they have good professional credibility when discussing the effectiveness of these products.  

 It also raises the issue of a conflict of interest if they are a major supplier of such parts for this area.  

Ald. Lisa Mellone has abstained from a few city project votes to avoid this conflict.