Elgin to fix combined sewer flooding

Elgin city leaders on Wednesday night set aside $130,000 for a cost-sharing program to help residents in the South West Area Neighbors part of town avoid sewer backups in their basements.

But more importantly, city officials pledged to hire an engineering firm in 2010 to draw up plans to fix the combined sewer problem in the SWAN area.

Dave Lawry, the city's general services manager, said work to install separate pipes for stormwater and sewage could even begin in 2011.

"That is extremely good news," said SWAN area resident Mike Curtin, who had been critical of the city in recent months as his basement was inundated with sewage.

The SWAN area is one of the final sections of town with what is known as a combined sewer - an arrangement in older sections where stormwater and sewage are discharged in one large pipe. Newer areas of town have two separate pipes.

The city's grant program provides a 50-50 split, with the city paying up to $5,000 for residents to get an overhead sewer installed in their basements. This is a feature common in newer construction. The city's grant program also provides a 50-50 split up to $1,000 for installation of a check value - another device to prevent flooding.

In the plan, the city will front residents the money and let them pay it back interest free for the first year on their water bills. Residents who can prove previous flooding through pictures and insurance claims will get first priority.

Before Wednesday, the program had a $30,000 a year budget,

"This is a major enhancement to the existing program," said City Councilman John Prigge. "We kicked it up a few notches."

Some residents, such as Jim Johnston, had questioned why residents in the area had to pay anything at all if the city was slow in complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandate to fix areas with combined sewers.