FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Property owners and residents in portions of the Rountree, Delaware, Phelps and University Heights neighborhoods are invited to attend one of two informational open house opportunities 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Tuesdays, Sept. 17 and 24 at the Springfield Art Museum (1111 S. Brookside Dr.) to learn about the City’s Private Sewer Repair Program.
The Private Sewer Repair Program is a voluntary program that helps prevent rainwater from entering the sanitary sewer system, causing backups into homes and untreated water to overflow into streams and lakes. The program offers property owners the opportunity to have improper connections to the sanitary sewer repaired at no charge.
Boundaries of the qualifying area correspond with stormwater basins that drain into Fassnight Creek. Properties that qualify are located roughly between Glenstone Avenue (east) and Holland Avenue (west), and between Cherokee Street (south) and Cherry Street (north).
Property owners and residents who qualify will have previously received a letter outlining the program and inviting them to attend an open house. They will be asked to schedule a no-cost plumbing evaluation to identify improper connections to the sewer system. A typical evaluation lasts less than 45 minutes and involves a two-person team examining such connections as sump pumps, foundation drains, downspouts, yard drains and uncapped clean-outs.
When improper connections are found, property owners will be asked to allow qualified local plumbers, paid by the City, to make the repairs.
“This current area of focus is one of the largest drainage basins we’ve tackled with the program so far,” says program coordinator Everett Kelley. “We thank the residents and business owners in the area for their cooperation during sewer smoke testing and for their willingness to partner with us to help improve the sewer system and conserve community resources.”
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.
“We have found that for every dollar spent on this program, our sewer customers save more than $11 in capacity improvements,” said Environmental Services Director Errin Kemper. “Much of this investment goes back into our local economy through our contracts with local plumbing companies.”
To learn more about the Private Sewer Repair Program, visit springfieldmo.gov/privatesewerrepair, call 417-874-1295 or email [email protected].
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For more information, contact Communication Coordinator Kristen Milam at 573-819-3713 or [email protected].