Johnson County Wastewater Private I/I, Past, Present, Future

The Problem Municipalities across the country are challenged with aging wastewater infrastructure and how to best utilize their limited resources to manage the associated problems. Excessive Inflow/Infiltration (I/I) is the result of deteriorated systems and is the major culprit for sewer overflows and basement backups in many communities. Even the most aggressive efforts in rehabilitating the collections system may not reduce system I/I to the point of eliminating sewer backups and overflows during extreme wet weather events. In the early 1980's, Johnson County Wastewater (JCW) took a proactive approach to system I/I by addressing leaking pipes and manholes but went beyond most and implemented one of the first large scale Private I/I remediation programs in the country. JCW has been recognized as a national leader in addressing system I/I and has made great strides in reducing sewer overflows and basement backups. Since the early 1980's, JCW has spent more than $84 million to reduce the number of wet weather-related backups into homes and businesses. During this time, the number of annual wet weather sewer backups has fallen from more than 1,000 in the early 1980's to just a few problematic areas during the most intense rain events. While JCW has made great progress, there are remaining problem areas where solutions have been more difficult to implement. With the ultimate goal of completely eliminating wet weather backups and overflows, JCW is committed to assisting its customers in an effort to provide the protection needed to minimize risk. Because JCW recognizes that system I/I is an ongoing problem and as systems continue to age and deteriorate, efforts will always be needed to tighten up the system. JCW is updating the Private I/I program to further address targeted areas in an effort to eliminate wet weather induced overflows and backups. Goals of Presentation Expand on what JCW has accomplished to date in addressing private I/I, provide lessons learned from 40 years of private I/I remediation and discuss plans for the future. The information covered in this presentation will provide insight from firsthand experiences associated with private I/I and help others to establish similar programs and avoid the pitfalls of implementing a private I/I program.