City to Offer Grants to Homeowners At Risk for Sewer Backup

At last night’s city Finance Committee meeting, a plan that would assist homeowners deemed at-risk for sewer backup with grant monies was discussed.

Originally, the city sought funding for the plan from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. However, MMSD has agreed only to fund the program’s initial development; it will not fund the installation of backflow prevention devices in these homes, leaving the city with this responsibility.

The city wants to eliminate incidents of sewer backup and their underlying causes by offering these grants as an incentive for at-risk homeowners to make appropriate plumbing upgrades. These fixes may include a sewer backup preventer, essentially a one-way valve; hung plumbing; or a grinder pump. The latter two options can cost anywhere between $5,000-8,000.

The original number that came out of Public Works Committee discussions was $2,500 per at-risk home with a final review of that figure by the Finance Committee and eventually Common Council.

With city staff recommending $1,500 per grant at last night’s meeting, Seventh District Alderman Noah Fiedler, who serves on the Finance Committee, sought to find a reasonable compromise. He recommended in the form of a motion, and it ultimately passed at the committee level, $2,000 per grant. Fiedler also requested in his motion that at-risk homeowners who have made appropriate plumbing fixes since last July’s storm also be eligible to benefit.

In order to benefit from these grants, homeowners will have to sign a release form that clears the city of any liability, as well as participate in the MMSD’s Private Property Infiltration and Inflow Reduction Program.

At present, the city has identified roughly 100 homes deemed as “at-risk”.

For further questions on the program, interested residents are encouraged to contact either the Public Works or Engineering Departments.