Sellersburg: A Town of Opportunity

What Homeowners Need To Know

Testing Home Connections

In the Sellersburg service area, as much as 30-60 percent of inflow and infiltration comes from leaking house laterals and illegally connected roof and foundation drains. Sump Pumps also present a problem to the Sellersburg Sewer system. Sump Pumps are illegal to have connected to the sewer system

Because improper connections represent such a large part of the sewage overflow problem, many communities with sanitary sewer systems have begun or may be required to begin testing home connections. Common examples of improper connections include downspouts, groundwater sump pumps, foundation drains and driveway drains. These connections allow storm water to enter the sanitary sewer line and contribute to the sewage overflows that occur when the system is overloaded.

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  Proper Connection
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  Improper Connection

The most common method for testing home connections is the dye test. A brightly colored dye is inserted into a downspout, sump pump or drain. The dye is flushed through with clear water and if the dye is seen flowing through the sanitary sewer line, the connection is deemed improper and must be corrected. Many communities are actively testing all of the homes in their geographic boundaries, while other municipalities have created an ordinance that dye testing must be completed at the time of a real estate sale. Sellersburg is in the first stages of creating guidelines to govern the illegal connections to the sewer system. Pilot areas have already had flow meters installed in order to collect data to determine the effectiveness of programs soon to be implemented.

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