The severe weather from June 18 to June 20 left Lennox with several challenges. Numerous basements were wet as a result of over 14 inches of rain that fell over three days. Thankfully, there were no reports of injuries in Lennox due to the flooding, and damages appear to be limited to finished basements. As City staff transitioned from fighting the storms to recovery, several observations were made that should be shared with the community.
Don’t Skimp on Storm Sewer: Over the past five years, the City of Lennox has taken a systematic approach to improving drainage and adding storm sewers throughout the community. The Central Basin Projects, in particular, have greatly improved drainage in central Lennox. I clearly remember being knee-deep in water at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Cedar Street in 2019 after a severe rainfall (far less severe than June’s storms). Even during the most intense rain, this area did not become inundated with water overnight on June 20/June 21. The City’s approach to improving drainage throughout Lennox saved dozens of homes from surface flooding during this event. Those improvements are still being made with this year’s Central Basin 4 Project—likely the last of the Central Basin projects. New storm sewer throughout the project, especially in the North Elm and Rummel neighborhoods, will make a huge difference in future rain events.
Sump Pump Collection Lines are Key: Starting with the Main Street Project in 2017, the City has begun installing sump pump collection lines where sump pumps are common. These systems provide property owners with an underground or surface connection that helps move sump pump discharge from the surface into an underground collection system that moves drainage away from basements. Providing this additional security for homes with sump pumps helped keep basements dry during this event.
Sanitary Sewer Connections Need to Stop: Looking at how much water made its way into our sanitary sewer system over the course of several days, it is clear that there are still problems in the system. On a normal summer day, the Lennox wastewater plant handles between 150,000 to 200,000 gallons of raw wastewater. Over the course of two and a half days, City staff discharged over 10 million gallons of wastewater from the sanitary system and wastewater plant. This is water that should not be there but is getting into the system one way or another. Some of this water is the result of illegally connected sump pumps that discharge to the floor drain or sanitary sewer in another way. Open sewer caps and manholes, as well as other openings, will be located with the City’s new smoke testing equipment over time. If you currently have a sump pump hooked up to the City’s sanitary sewer system, please know that future inspections are on the way, and fines will be issued.
The Capital Improvement Plan is Working: The projects included in recent Capital Improvement Plans are expensive and inconvenient. Many of these projects result in special assessments paid by property owners and surcharges on your monthly water and sewer use. This is no different than any other business that needs to make improvements to a utility system. In our case, these projects are working to keep the community safe. They are providing safe drinking water for homes, a reliable system to collect wastewater and prevent disease and pollution, and a strong drainage system that protects personal property and lives. These projects are insurance against future risk, and these rain events are proof that the system is working.
Over the next several months, City staff will be working to update the existing Capital Improvement Plan. The first step in this process is collecting information from the community, and you’ll have a chance to do just that on July 30 at the CIP Visioning Event. If you know of areas in town where improvements are needed, please consider attending this event at 7:00 at City Hall, or contact City Hall with any information at your convenience. Your information and contributions will be used to develop an updated Capital Improvement Plan that continues to make the progress we’ve witnessed over the last several years.