Dry weather leads to sewer problem in Batavia

The sunny, warm, dry fall we're having is being blamed for a bit of a stinky problem in Batavia.

People have complained of a foul odor around Main Street and Route 31. A public works crew sniffed out the cause: A dry sump pit in the area's combined sewer system.

In that area the sanitary waste and storm sewers are combined in a 48-inch pipe. The sewage flows into a sump pit, then to the sewage treatment plant.

But the sump dried out, due to a lack of rainwater entering the storm drains, and sewer gasses accumulated.

“Sulfur dioxide readings were off the chart,” city administrator Bill McGrath told the government services committee Wednesday night. “That 48-inch pipe may be a conduit right back out (for the gasses).” It's akin to having the trap in a floor drain or toilet dry out.

Public works is going to try to put water in the sump; the water should act like a seal on the trap.

The Chicago area is having its third-driest fall since 1871, when the federal government began keeping records. It has received about an inch of rain since Sept. 25, and the average is 4.21, according to the National Weather Service.