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New London — A municipal sewer treatment plant is a finely tuned biological system filled with microscopic bugs that “eat” and break down wastewater components.
But that system can get overwhelmed when outflow lines and street mains are inundated by rainwater and basement water diverted from illegal sump pumps.
In an effort to stem the flow of sump pump discharge, the city’s Water & Water Pollution Control Authority is poised to roll out a new public education initiative aimed at prompting homeowners to unhook the pumping devices from their sanitary pipes.
“I’m convinced people with these pumps just don’t understand the impact they have, and when they do, they’ll make what is really a simple fix to the issue,” WWPCA Chairman Barry Weiner said Friday.
The education proposal comes a year after a WPCA subcommittee was formed to examine the sump pump issue. The subcommittee was formed after an overwhelmed bypass line broke, causing sewage backups in the south part of the city.
In late 2023, a temporary bypass was placed not far from Ocean Beach Park to allow for the replacement of a ruptured main sewer line that ferried wastewater from the area to pump stations.
The bypass became overwhelmed by heavy rains and caused sewage to back up into 10 residences. Officials said the bypass failure was partially attributed to illegally installed home sump pumps, which act like a residential version of a ship’s bilge pump.
“Those pumps are supposed to discharge into a yard or a home’s stormwater line, but are instead connected to a sanitary line, like the ones that remove water from a washing machine,” Director of Utilities Joe Lanzafame said on Friday. “One problem is, the average homeowner isn’t likely to know the difference between a sanitary and storm line.”
Lanzafame said the sewer system typically handles about nine million gallons of flow daily, but heavy rains and sump pump discharge can cause that amount to double. The extra discharge can put an increased strain on the treatment system by washing out or starving the helpful microbes.
Neither Lanzafame nor Weiner knew how many illegal sump pumps were operating in the city, but said they seem to be more prevalent in the southern part of the city.
“We monitor flow data and can see spikes in that area when it rains,” Lanzafame said.
Embracing a “carrot” approach
In a Feb. 17 letter, WPCA member Chris Baker, who headed the sump pump committee, noted other Connecticut municipalities have taken “aggressive investigation techniques” to find and address their sump pump problems.
He noted Greenwich, under orders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, had building officials test neighborhoods. Cheshire officials launched an in-person investigation of properties.
“These techniques are legal but entailed a significant cost in the case of Greenwich and significant pushback from the community in Cheshire,” Baker wrote, noting a lack of sewer capacity in both towns led to the costly and “heavy-handed” compliance methods.
Two decades ago, New London used $20,000 in grant money to convince 99 residents to reverse their illegal sump pump connections in an attempt to stop line backups and flooding. Homeowners alerted to their incorrect installations paid plumbers to fix the issues and were reimbursed.
Weiner said the authority at some point will explore securing similar grants, though added it’s a relatively simple process to unhook an incorrect connection and redirect the flow out onto a residence’s lawn.
“Money’s tight now, but we have no intention of adding another burden on homeowners,” he said. “We will not take a nasty or punitive approach.”
Instead, consultants over the next several months will host seminars, open house forums and other informational meetings aimed at persuading residents to unhook their pumps.
“We’re taking the carrot approach and are hoping for voluntary cooperation,” Weiner said.
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