Elgin promises to revisit sewer grant

Elgin city leaders Wednesday night promised to take another look at a grant program designed to give flood-prone homes some relief.

Flooding and sewer backups are a constant problem in some older neighborhoods that have what is called a combined sewer - where sanitary waste and stormwater are funneled into one large pipe.

Newer neighborhoods have two sets of underground pipes, making them less susceptible to flooding.

Problems have persisted for years but reached critical mass on June 19 when the dozens in the South West Area Neighbors part of the city had raw sewage bubble up into their basements.

The city tweaked its program to help people install overhead sewers, an arrangement of pipes in a home that is standard with new construction. Instead of paying 50 percent of a project up to $5,000, the city wanted to front residents $10,000, forgive the first $5,000 and give them three years to repay the rest - the first year of which would be interest-free.

"I think we've come up with a way that can provide good temporary relief until the combined sewer situation is resolved in 30 years," said Mayor Ed Schock. "It's a balancing act."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandated in the early 1970s that cities lay new pipes, but the agency did not provide funding or a final date to comply.

The city has done several areas, but about 6,000 homes - or 12.5 percent of the city - still remain in neighborhoods with combined sewers. To fix that problem it would cost $150 million, money the city does not have right now, and it could take decades to accomplish because of EPA hoops to jump through.

The increased offer wasn't enough for some residents who said it was no guarantee against future flooding.

"Pay for the whole thing if (sewage flooding) is legitimate," said resident James Johnston. "This issue has been dodged too long."

The city has had the combined sewer grant program in place since 2001, but only 13 homeowners have used it.

The council will revisit the issue July 22.

Sewers: 6,000 homes still face flooding risk