Did you know that sewer customers are responsible for the sewer lateral (service line), that is, the pipe from the house to the sewer main?  Did you also know that the more sewage is sent to the sewer processing plant, the higher the cost is for all of the customers?  This includes rainwater, snow melt, and irrigation water.  ALL water that enters our sewer system is metered, processed, and billed accordingly.  This is the reason it is so important that we all do our part to keep extra water out of the sewer.  

Hidden Connections: What You May Not Know

Many homeowners are unaware that they may have illegal connections to the sewer system that could be causing significant problems. These unauthorized connections can overwhelm the sewer system during heavy rainfall, increase treatment costs for the entire community, and cause potential environmental and infrastructure damage.  Smoke testing will help  identify  some common hidden issues which include:

Sump Pumps improperly connected directly to the sewer line

Gutter Downspouts illegally tied into the sanitary sewer system

Foundation Drains illegally routed to the sewer main

Yard Drains that should be separate from the sanitary sewer

What Are The Rules?

According to the current Lake Charter Township Sewer Ordinance:

Section 7.02.05 - No person shall connect roof downspouts, foundation drains, driveway drains, swimming pool drains, or any sources of surface or ground water to a building sewer, which in turn is connected to the system.

Section 8.01.1 -  No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.