Monitoring New Sewer Installations
To prevent inflow and infiltration problems tomorrow, the DeKalb Sanitary District maintains strict specifications and standards for the construction of all new private and public sanitary sewers.
Help with Planning
Local standards govern material specifications, installation and quality assurance testing requirements for any sanitary sewers that will be tributary to the District's wastewater collection and treatment systems.
DSD Standard Notes and Details
The District takes an active role before, during, and after the installation of new infrastructure in its facilities planning area. An initial consultation is without cost. Further plan review fees as established by Ordinance #496 (passed March 15, 2006) are assessed based on the size and complexity of the project.
New Construction - Conditions & Requirements
Is there Capacity for New Development?
The Sanitary District's responsibility is to see that expansion does not negatively impact on either the collection system or the treatment plant so as to threaten the area's water quality.
"P.E." refers to "population equivalent." One P.E. equals 100 gallons per day of water usage per person. Proposed new development is assessed on the basis of its proposed P.E. contribution to the sewer flow demands in the area. An Efficiency or Studio Apartment has a P.E. of 1, a one-bedroom Apartment is 1.5, a two or three-bedroom apartment is 3 and a private home is 3.5. A mobile home has a P.E. of 2.25.
The District Decides
Any new construction of sufficient P.E. requires Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Construction and Operation Permits. Part of the application process is the DeKalb Sanitary District's input about its ability to handle the increased flow.
If an area already has as much population as the collection system and the treatment plant can handle, the DeKalb Sanitary District cannot approve the IEPA Construction Permit Application.
Quality Assurance Testing
Quality of installations is also monitored by the District. Infrastructure that will endure and that will not create problems for local homeowners in the future is the goal. Plans must be submitted to and approved by the District before the granting of City of DeKalb building permits. The District offers the developer review comments throughout the design process to help them meet quality requirements.
During the construction phase, DeKalb Sanitary District personnel perform quality assurance testing of all new sewers to assure system integrity before allowing occupancy permits to be issued. "As-builts" are required at the completion of each project so that the location and details of all new infrastructure can be recorded in the mapping systems maintained jointly by the District and the City of DeKalb.
Preventing Tomorrow's Problems Today
Many residents have been frustrated by being told that the District has no way of knowing where the sewer lateral installed forty years ago exits the home or where it enters the main. Atypical and undesirable placements across neighboring properties have been discovered in the older sections of the City. Sanitary District personnel work hard to leave a legacy for the future that will insure that infrastructure built today stands the test of time.
Providing for Future Expansion
Each new residential or commercial development adds to the load on the treatment plant which has a finite capacity to treat sewage. When the amount of wastewater flowing into the plant exceeds its design capacity, the plant must be expanded. As developments on the edges of the District's boundaries apply for annexation to the District and expand those boundaries, sanitary infrastructure must be expanded and enlarged.
Because of its responsibility to the future, the current Board of Trustees collects funds and sets them aside for future plant expansion needs. The money collected from connection fees is set aside to be used in expansion of the treatment plant. Annexation fees are applied towards the cost of expanding the collection infrastructure into new areas.