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Inflow & Infiltration/Time of Sale Inspections

What is Inflow and Infiltration (I&I)?

Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) is the excess flow of clear water into the Village’s sanitary sewer system.

Because the sanitary sewer system was not designed to handle this excess clear water, it becomes overloaded during times of high groundwater or heavy rainfall. This can cause basement flooding or bypassing of raw wastewater to local streams and lakes.

What's the problem?

Wastewater from the Village travels through the Town’s sanitary sewer system for processing. The Village is charged annually for each gallon of wastewater transmitted and processed by the treatment plant. When I&I gets into the wastewater, our wastewater treatment costs go up because more water is being processed.  In the end, these cost increases result in increases to your water/sewer bill.

The excess clear water from I&I problems also uses sanitary sewer capacity needed for wastewater. The result is sewer backups and increased costs to homeowners and taxpayers for needlessly putting clear water through the wastewater treatment process.

The New York State Environmental Conservation Department (NYSDEC) requires communities with excess I&I to invest in local reduction remedies such as disconnecting sump pumps and foundation drains from sanitary sewers and repairing leaky sanitary sewer pipes. 

To urge compliance, NYSDEC will fine communities with excess I&I.

 

Village Infrastructure Repairs

The Village, like most communities in Western New York, was identified as a contributor of excess I&I and is working to resolve the problem.

The Village has invested millions of dollars to replace or line our sewer lines.  This is an ongoing process which eliminates cracks, breaks and repairs connections.

 

I&I Problem Spots on Your Property

Drainage from roofs, paved areas, yards and other open areas, if improperly discharged, will lead to I&I issues. 

 

Roof Drains and Leaders

Roof drains and leaders direct storm water from roof gutters to the ground through pipes and downspouts. Roof drains should not be connected to the sanitary sewer, but should discharge to the ground outside of a building. 

If your roof drains are connected to the sanitary sewer, disconnect them, plug any open connections to the sanitary sewer using a non-shrink permanent material, and redirect the roof drains onto the ground outside the building.

 

Foundation Drains

Foundation drains are underground pipes that collect storm water from around the base of a building and into a sump pit, where it is then pumped outside of the building. Foundation drains should not be connected to the sanitary sewer. 

If your foundation drain system is connected to the sanitary sewer, correcting the problem could be costly. The process could involve excavation to disconnect the foundation drain from the sanitary sewer and installation of a sump pump system. The new sump system must pump directly to the ground outside of the building or be connected to the Village's storm sewer system.

 

Sump Pumps

Sump pumps are designed to capture surface or ground water that enters basements or crawl spaces and pump it away from the house. The basic sump system includes drain tile, a sump pit, a sump pump, a float or switch, and a drain line. The sump pit extends below the slab and collects surface water that enters the basement/crawl space or groundwater that rises to the slab. 

Sump pumps should not be connected to the sanitary sewer. Sump pumps should drain into the Village’s storm sewer system through a direct connection (a pipe from the house to the main storm sewer line. (Sump Pumps)

 

I&I Inspections Program

To comply with NYSDEC directives regarding I&I, the Village may need to inspect homes and businesses to determine if roof drains, foundation drains, sump pumps (see Program Links), and other clear water sources are connected to the sanitary sewer system. The goal of this program is to reduce excessive flows that enter the sanitary sewer system so the Village won't have to pay NYSDEC penalties.  The Village already conducts these inspections as part of its Time of Sale Inspections and will continue with systematic house-to-house and business-to-business inspections later this year.

Who is subject to an inspection?