–The City of Algona is launching a pilot program to help homeowners cover the costs of removing footing drains that are illegally connected to the sanitary sewer system. City Administrator Jacob Tjaden outlined the program prior to its approval by the city council this week.
The city began inspecting homes on the east side of Algona last year to try and locate footing drains as a way to prevent excess flow into the wastewater collection system during heavy rain events. This excess inflow and infiltration can lead to basement backups, sewer overflows, increased treatment costs and reduced system capacity. Tjaden says the inspections turned up a number of illegal connections.
Tjaden says they will be reaching out to homeowners that discovered an illegal connection during recent inspections.
The pilot program will cover a portion of the costs to remove these illegal connections.
Any property that was involved or will be part of the city’s 2024-2025 Footing Drain Inspection program is eligible to participate if an illegal connection is found. Participation from homes not included in the inspection areas will be limited to the first 10 qualifying applicants. For more information about the program, you can contact Algona City Hall at 515-295-2411.
