Proposed ordinances restrict drainage to meet IDNR mandates

Osceola City Council took the first steps Monday to begin changes outlined in an Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) consent order.

The first reading on restrictions pertaining to sump pumps and footing drains connected to the city’s sanitary sewer system were approved by the council, despite objections with IDNR’s logic.

“It keeps the DNR happy, but it doesn’t fix the real problem,” Councilman James Kimball said of the new ordinances before “reluctantly” voting yes during the unanimous approval.

As part of the consent order, IDNR told the city they must institute rules against draining water into the sanitary sewer system because they believed it was a major source of inflow and infiltration that has previously been a problem.

Testing has shown Osceola’s sewer system can see as much as 50 times the average hourly rate of water flow during heavy rainfall, but both Kimball and City Administrator Bill Kelly said the likely culprits are the sanitary sewers themselves.

Still, because IDNR mandated city action this summer, changes affecting home and business owners may soon take place.

Restrictions

Among restrictions outlined in the new ordinances is a ban against connecting sump pumps and footing drains to the sanitary sewer system. With this comes further actions for buildings determined to have a current connection.

• Read more of this story in the August 12 edition of the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune.