The Great Lakes hold over 20% of the world’s fresh surface water, and Lake Erie is the most at-risk lake of all the Great Lakes, because it is the shallowest. It is also the source of all Avon Lake’s water.
Part of our job as your water company is keeping Lake Erie alive and healthy. To stay in compliance with EPA standards regarding the amount of raw sewage that discharges into Lake Erie, Avon Lake needs to separate all clean water (from rain/foundation drains) from sanitary water (your home’s wastewater) as it enters our sewer system. As part of that effort, Avon Lake Municipal Utilities and the City of Avon Lake have been and are continuing to work together on the Avon Lake Combined Sewer Separation program.
The goal of the Avon Lake Combined Sewer Separation Program is to separate all sanitary and storm water sewers in Avon Lake by building sanitary sewers alongside currently combined sewers. Presently, in our combined sewer areas, raw sewage and rain water go into the same pipe, the combined sewer. During times of excessive rain, raw sewage “surcharges” the pipe, and discharges into Lake Erie. Of the 17 sewers targeted for separation, 12 are complete. By 2020, all Avon Lake sewers must be separated.
As part of this separation, if your home was built prior to 1972, it is likely that you will need to install a new “lateral.” Nearly* all Avon Lake residents will need to have two laterals total: One to carry your home’s wastewater to the sanitary sewer line, and one to evacuate the storm water runoff that comes from your foundation drain and other sources (like downspouts). (Homeowners who built their homes after 1972 paid for a dedicated sanitary lateral as part of their home construction costs.)
Residents whose sewers have already been separated, but have not added a second lateral may need to. All laterals will need to be connected by or soon after February 2018 (see grid below), and if all neighbors are connected earlier than that, restrictors on storm drains may be able to be removed at that time.
Avon Lake Utilities have spent the last few months working on your behalf to make this burden easier on you. Here’s how:
*If your home is on a slab, or if you do not have a drain putting clean water into the sanitary sewer, you may not need to build a new lateral. Please call us at 440-933-6226 to schedule an inspection of your home to find out for sure.
- ALMU has identified a source of grant money for low- and moderate-income families through Lorain County Community Development. (2013 is expiration, money could be gone before then, so apply now) download grant application;
- ALMU will give homeowners $1,000 in sewer bill rebates once the lateral is connected (Sewer lateral program details);
- ALMU and The City of Avon Lake are waiving all permitting fees for work done as a part of this project;
- We are giving at least five years for you to complete your project.
To see a video presentation of the two information nights (for the Belmar neighborhood, but most of the content applies to all the above neighborhoods) at Troy Intermediate School, watch ALC-TV government channel (Time Warner 12/WOW! 21). You can also view it online at http://avonlake.pegcentral.com. Keep current by following your neighborhood’s Twitter account (below, as projects begin) or check out the Neighborhood Update page or the Current Projects page on this site (accessible through the Quick Links section on the front page)
Find out more about how to start on your lateral project by reading our Lateral Resource Guide.
Comments(0)