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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 Community Compliance program and the practical challenge of addressing a surge of complaints during the growing season.
McKinney said community compliance received roughly 150 complaints in a one-week period during the peak season. He urged staff to evaluate whether the city should temporarily increase enforcement capacity during high-growth months rather than maintain a full staff complement year-round; the council scheduled further discussion in the Community Compliance meeting on Aug. 11.
On road maintenance, McKinney and other council members explained why the city uses Portland cement concrete (PCC) patching as a cost-effective approach. Officials said full street replacement can delay reopening and is not always the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars; patching can extend the life of pavement by roughly 10 to 15 years between larger treatments, they said.
City Manager Hadden reported a separate but related water-quality measure at Blue Heron Lake. Heavy rains this summer caused elevated E. coli counts that prompted restrictions on swimming. Hadden said the city will partner with a Drake University professor, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Polk County to implement weekly sampling between Memorial Day and Labor Day next year and publish results with the DNR lake reporting system.
“The good thing that's come out of this is we secured the services of a Drake University professor,” Hadden said, adding that weekly, transparent sampling will improve public information about water quality.
Discussion only: council members and staff discussed enforcement, resident complaints about weeds and nuisance vegetation, and street-patching strategy. Direction: staff were asked to evaluate seasonal enforcement options and to bring follow-up materials to upcoming committee meetings. Decision: no ordinance change or new regulatory requirement was adopted at the Aug. 4 meeting.
