The operators at Perry’s Water Pollution Control Facility said Tuesday the city’s sanitary sewer system is currently running at full capacity due to recent heavy rains, a situation that could lead to sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), causing sewage to backup into residential basements as well as supercharged sewer lines.
Sanitary sewer systems are designed to collect wastewater, the city workers said, but heavy rainfall can overload them due to rainwater directly entering the system, such as through connected roof drains or sump pumps, which is called inflow, and groundwater seeping into cracked pipes, called infiltration.
When the system’s treatment capacity is exceeded and supercharged, overflows can result.
The city staff is continuously monitoring the collection system, and improvement is occurring, happening but it does take time, the city said.
For more information, call the Perry City Hall at 515-465-2481
