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Council hears report on stormwater response, sewer hookups and weekly lake testing plan after wet July
Summary
Councilman McKinney briefed colleagues that a record wet July largely tested stormwater systems successfully but flagged illegal gutter-to-sewer hookups as a cause of sanitary backups; City Manager outlined weekly E. coli sampling at Blue Heron Lake in partnership with Drake University, DNR and Polk County.
Councilman McKinney told the City Council on Aug. 4 that the city experienced its wettest July on record and that the city's stormwater infrastructure “performed very well” overall, but he and staff identified localized problems caused by illegal downspout or gutter connections to the sanitary sewer.
“Some folks have tied their gutters into sanitary sewers, and it's creating a problem in different parts of the city,” McKinney said. He said the practice violates city ordinances and noted that backups in some neighborhoods were likely worsened by those illegal connections. The council discussed ongoing enforcement through the…
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