Repeated flooding in southeast Cedar Rapids neighborhood has residents seeking answers.
Her husband already had traveled to Cedar Rapids on Tuesday to replace the washer and dryer and fix the water heater and furnace, she said.
“Ideally, what I’d like to see is a discussion with the city about how we fix this problem.” A severe storm the previous weekend inundated the sanitary sewer system causing flooding in several basements in the Grande Avenue area, including more than 2 feet of water in Manes’ basement.
Flooding has become a recurring issue in this area and neighbors say it’s a problem the city should address.
Another issue contributing to the problems is that some of the homes in the neighborhood have their own stormwater systems tied into the city’s sanitary sewer lines, Wallace said.
Wallace said a typical 8-inch sanitary sewer pipe should be able to serve between 100 and 300 homes with normal wastewater discharge.
City officials are exploring a program to encourage residents to disconnect stormwater drains from the sanitary sewer system and also to replace their private sanitary pipe if defective, Wallace said.
The backwater valve would prevent water from flowing back into people’s basements when the sanitary sewer system becomes inundated, he said.
At least one of his neighbors was considering moving after the latest flooding episode, he said.
Doug Wilson, the Paving for Progress manager, said the project has been removed from the slate and shifted to a stormwater project, but it has not been scheduled.