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<br />
<br />SUMP PUMP INSPECTIONS IN THE CITY OF ARDEN HILLS
<br />
<br />The City of Arden Hills Sump Pump
<br />Inspection program is designed to help
<br />homeowners identify cross-connected
<br />sump pumps or other improper clear
<br />water connections, so they can be
<br />properly connected.
<br />
<br />What is a cross connection?
<br />A cross connection is a sump pump or
<br />other pipe carrying clear water that is
<br />connected either directly or indirectly to a
<br />sanitary sewer line, Often, a sump pump
<br />connection is a hose leading into a
<br />laundry tub or a floor drain. Sump
<br />pumps are supposed to drain into stonn
<br />sewers, either through a direct connection
<br />(a pipe from the home connecting with
<br />the main stonn sewer line), or through
<br />draining directly onto the ground outside
<br />the home.
<br />
<br />. Why are cross connections a problem?
<br />Sump water is what engineers call "clear
<br />water," most often rainwater, ground
<br />water, or snow melt This water is clean
<br />enough to drain directly into streams,
<br />ponds, and lakes without treatment.
<br />Wastewater - water from your sinks,
<br />showers, tubs, toilets, and washing
<br />machines - must be treated at your
<br />metropolitan wastewater treatment plant
<br />before it can be safely discharged into the
<br />environment.
<br />
<br />When "clear water" is added to
<br />wastewater, it can overload the collection
<br />system. The Minnesota Pollution Control
<br />Agency (MPCA) has estimated that a
<br />single home with a cross connected sump
<br />pump can add up to 1,400 gallons of
<br />water to the system during one average
<br />rain stonn, That's the equivalent of
<br />flushing your toilet 280 times (based on a
<br />standard toilet with a five gallon tank - if
<br />you have a low-flow toilet with a three
<br />gallon tank, you'd have to flush 466
<br />limes), Multiply that by the number of
<br />. homes in your neighborhood, and the
<br />
<br />magnitude of the problem
<br />becomes evident.
<br />
<br />Why should I care?
<br />Excess water in the sanitary
<br />sewer can overload the system
<br />and it also costs the city, and
<br />you, money. Also, rates set by
<br />the Metropolitan Council for
<br />treating wastewater are based on
<br />number of gallons that flow
<br />through the system. Therefore,
<br />everyone pays to treat water
<br />from illegal sump pump
<br />connections.
<br />
<br />Are cross connections the only
<br />cause of this?
<br />No, Water can infiltrate the
<br />system through bad joints,
<br />cracks, or breaks in the sanitary
<br />sewer pipe leading from your
<br />home to the street. Arden Hills
<br />inspects the interior of the public
<br />sanitary sewer pipe with TV
<br />cameras so these problems can
<br />be found and corrected.
<br />
<br />How do I know ifI have a
<br />cross-connected sump pump?
<br />The key thing to look for is
<br />where the water goes when the
<br />sump pump is running. If you
<br />have a rigid, PVC-type pipe that
<br />goes outdoors and drains into
<br />your yard (well away from your
<br />foundation, or course), you're
<br />probably okay, If you have a
<br />hose that drains into your
<br />laundry tub or floor drain, this is
<br />an illegal connection. If you can
<br />see right away that your sump
<br />pump is cross-connected, it
<br />would be to your advantage to
<br />get it rerouted prior to
<br />inspection, This will save you
<br />time, as only one inspection will
<br />need to be done to confirm your
<br />correction. If you're not sure,
<br />
<br />enclosed illustrative connection diagrams
<br />may help you decide. If you still can't
<br />tell, the inspectors williet you know, and
<br />you will have time to get the problem
<br />corrected before a surcharge is applied.
<br />
<br />If you are rerouting your system, be sure
<br />to buy the right kind of pipe. It must be a
<br />rigid, plastic pipe, not flexible hose. The
<br />attached illustration shows one type of a
<br />proper connection.
<br />
<br />When will an inspector visit my home?
<br />Most likely within the next year. Water
<br />meter installers contracted by the City
<br />will be doing the inspection, along with
<br />the water meter replacement project
<br />scheduled to begin this fall, These meter
<br />installers will also have training for sump
<br />pump cross-connection identification.
<br />
<br />Why inspect my house?
<br />Neither your property nor neighborhood
<br />has been singled out for any reason, All
<br />Arden Hills homes and business with
<br />sanitary sewer connections will be
<br />inspected. In the next eighteen months,
<br />inspections will be completed in over
<br />2,000 Arden Hills properties.
<br />
<br />What will correcting a sump pump
<br />cross connection cost me?
<br />If you do the work yourself, less than
<br />$50, assuming your basement is
<br />unfmished and you already have a sump
<br />pump, If an outside contractor is used,
<br />most corrections will be at least $300,
<br />again assuming your sump pump is in
<br />place and it's just a matter of replacing
<br />flexible pipe and/or rerouting your flow.
<br />
<br />(Connection Diagrams
<br />on Reverse Side)
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