The City of Springfield will launch phase 4 of its Private Sewer Repair Program with an informational open house for eligible properties 5:30–7 p.m., Tuesday, May 17 at the Greene County Archives Building, 1126 N. Boonville Ave.
The program provides free plumbing evaluations and no-cost repairs to fix improper connections to the City’s sanitary sewer system. The goal of the program is to prevent rainwater from entering and overwhelming the City’s sewer system, causing sewage to back up into homes and enter streams and lakes.
The first region targeted in phase 4 of the program is located near the Downtown Airport along Division Street. An additional area between Seminole Street and Battlefield, east of Glenstone Avenue will be targeted later this summer. Property owners eligible for plumbing evaluations will receive a postcard in the mail and a door hanger left at their property notifying them of the upcoming open house. Citizens can also visit springfieldmo.gov/cleanwater to find out if their property qualifies for the program.
Participation is voluntary and begins with a no-cost plumbing evaluation to identify improper connections.
A typical evaluation lasts less than 45 minutes and involves a two-person team who will look both inside and outside the property for improper connections. All evaluation team members will clearly display photo identification as representatives from the City of Springfield. Property owners can expect teams to evaluate sump pumps and foundation drains inside homes, and downspouts, yard drains and uncapped clean-outs outside homes.
When improper connections are found, property owners will be asked to allow qualified local plumbers, paid by the City, to make the repairs.
“This program was such a blessing for us,” said Joy Draeger, who participated in phase two of the program in 2014. “The engineers from the City were so polite and informative about what they were going to do, and provided a selection of plumbers to choose from so we could choose one we were familiar with to do the repair work. Now we’re not having to hire someone every few months to clean out our pipes so they won’t back up.”
The Private Sewer Repair Program is part of a $200 million Overflow Control Plan to reduce sanitary sewer overflows in Springfield’s aging system over the next 10 years. The City’s plan was approved by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2015.
Launched as a pilot in 2012, the initial goal of the program was to determine whether repairs to the wastewater collection system on private property could successfully reduce sewer overflows – bringing the City closer to meeting federal regulations and saving ratepayers money. Properties in five basins were evaluated with a total of 474 sources of rainwater removed from the system and an overall peak flow reduction of 42%.
Since 2012, repairs have been conducted in three phases, with a 97% participation rate for voluntary plumbing evaluations. Of these evaluations, 87% of homeowners agreed to repairs. Overall, repairs have been made to 1,164 properties and more than 1,500 sources of rainwater have been disconnected from the sanitary sewer system.
For more information, visit springfieldmo.gov/cleanwater. For questions about the program, please call (417)655-2175 or email [email protected]
For media inquiries, please contact Kristen Milam, Communication Coordinator, at (573) 819-3713.