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October 3, 2008
Downtown sewer flooding
to be resolved through citywide effort
RAHWAY – On August 30 and September 6 the City experienced
two significant rainfalls that caused sanitary sewer flooding in
a number of downtown buildings. The flooding is being caused
primarily by storm drains from private properties that are still
connected to a sewer system that, in some areas, was built in
the 19th Century and was piped to discharge into the
rivers as a combined sewer system.
Following a mandate from the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection, the City has been
working during the past few decades to separate the storm sewer
from the sanitary sewer system within all of the city’s
rights-of-way.
Private property owners are asked to
examine their storm drains so this separation can be completed
across the City.
Property owners will soon be receiving
information about disconnecting storm drains from the sanitary
sewer lateral under the street. In accordance with Chapter
337-38 of the Code of the City of Rahway, examples of such
drains that need to be disconnected are: roof drains, yard
drains, driveway and parking area drains, sump pump discharge
piping and similar drains.
In addition to causing expensive flooding
for downtown homes and businesses, storm water illegally
discharged into the sanitary sewer system costs Rahway sewer
customers thousands of dollars each year in additional expenses
to treat the runoff and threatens the health of the Rahway River
during periods of heavy rain. The cooperation of the public
would be greatly appreciated.
For more information, contact the
Department of Building, Planning & Economic Development at
(732) 827-2087. |
