Residents press Germantown for fixes after April storms; committee orders drainage-easement review

Germantown’s Public Works and Highway Committee heard a technical briefing on the April 14–16 storm and its aftermath and unanimously directed staff to inspect drainage easements in the two neighborhoods most affected by sewage backups.

Tim, village public-works staff, told the committee that Old Farm Lift Station’s certified gauge recorded 7.1 inches for April 12–18 with a 15-minute peak of 0.91 inches on April 14 and an instantaneous rain rate reported as high as 7.7 inches per hour. That intense rain, combined with a large power outage affecting about one-third of the village, disabled residents’ sump pumps and allowed large volumes of clear water to enter sanitary sewers—surcharging gravity lines and causing backups in low points such as Willowwood and Juniper Drive.

The presentation and subsequent CCTV inspections identified no catastrophic failure of the 30-inch interceptor on Division Road; Great Lakes TV & Seal completed inspections showing no evidence of a compromised interceptor. Instead, staff said the principal drivers were extreme rainfall intensity, localized backwater and inflow from cross‑connected or otherwise malfunctioning sump and roof drains. Tim told the committee that, in at least one inspected home, a cross‑connected sump pump and a broken sanitary lateral were discovered after door‑to‑door checks.

Residents described repeated raw‑sewage backups and heavy financial and health impacts. "In August I had 22 inches of raw sewage in my basement," said Amy Willard. "In April we had eight inches. It took weeks to dry out and cost tens of thousands of dollars." Others pressed the committee to prioritize upgrades because they fear repetition.

After public comment the committee voted to have staff identify which drainage easements in Cedar Hills and Willowwood are public and which are private and to return to the committee with those determinations and potential next steps. Staff also pledged to improve communications with residents, investigate options such as targeted alarms or water sensors that could feed into the village's SCADA system, provide homeowner guidance on backflow prevention and sump-pump discharge practices, and continue work on the facilities plan to increase lift‑station capacity over time.

What happens next: staff will perform site investigations, prepare a list of properties for review, and report to the committee. The facilities plan that includes Main Street and Old Farm lift‑station upgrades remains on the design schedule; staff said those investments are multi‑million‑dollar projects and will be phased.