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Please help prevent sanitary sewer backups and basement flooding by
ensuring that your sump pump is not connected to the sanitary sewer. The
Village maintains separate sanitary sewer and stormwater systems. Each
system is designed to help protect our local water supply.
The
sanitary sewer system is an enclosed system that transports waste water
from drains and toilets in your home to a treatment plant where
contaminants and solids are removed, the water is properly treated, and
the water is then returned to Lake Michigan. Pleasant Prairie’s Sewer
Utility pays the Kenosha Water Utility per gallon of waste water
treated. Therefore, the greater the volume of water treated, the more
the Village, and ratepayers in turn, will pay to the Kenosha Water
Utility.
Stormwater systems in the Village are part of an open
system that transports larger volumes of stormwater (water mainly from
rain and snow melt that passes over lawns, rooftops and paved surfaces)
back to Lake Michigan and other waterways via ditches, swales, retention
basins, and storm sewers.
When a homeowner discharges stormwater
from their sump pump into the sanitary sewer by emptying it into a
drain in their home, not only will it drive costs up for all utility
customers, but it can easily overwhelm the sanitary sewer system. The
sanitary sewer system is not designed to handle a large flow of
stormwater. Discharge from only a small number of sump pumps can quickly
cause the sanitary sewer to back up into basements of homes.
Because
sanitary sewage can cause both property damage and serious health and
safety concerns, it is illegal to drain your sump pump into the sanitary
sewer line. Please help prevent sanitary sewer backups and basement
flooding by ensuring that your sump pump is not connected to the
sanitary sewer, especially during large rain events. Periodically, the
utility will conduct random testing to determine if a home’s sump pump
is discharging to the sanitary sewer. Click on the PDF link below for
information on how to manage a sanitary sewer backup in your basement.