Residents tell village trustees repeated sewage flooding demands formal investigation and door‑to‑door inspections

Two residents told the Village Board on June 15 that repeated basement sewage flooding has caused property damage and emotional and financial strain, and asked the village to take specific investigative and enforcement steps.

Sarah Lewis, who said she lives on Cherokee Drive and Redview Drive, told the board her home and neighbors’ houses have flooded and that a DPW lateral inspection after April’s flood indicated inflow and infiltration (I&I) and the possibility some sump pumps were discharging into sanitary laterals. “My name is Sarah Lewis. I live on the corner of Cherokee Drive and Redview Drive in Menomonee Falls,” she said, and described paying a plumber and having pipe‑jetting performed after the April backup.

Lewis said state administrative code (she cited Chapter SPS 382) prohibits tying a sump pump into a sanitary sewer and asked the village for a formal investigation into sump pump discharge compliance in the Arrowhead Range subdivision, door‑to‑door inspections during wet weather by code enforcement, a written enforcement plan for pump violations, a timeline for evaluating stormwater capacity, and a public report of findings and next steps.

A second speaker, introduced by the president as Renee, said she had $2,500 in basement damage from the April event and echoed calls for the village to act; she said residents had already spent money on initial cleaning and repairs and had sought legal advice to preserve property values.

Board response and follow up: Trustees acknowledged the requests. Staff said public works had visited homes the prior week (June 11–12); Lewis asked what was measured, for how long and how the data would be used. Trustees asked staff to include an update in quarterly reports to keep residents informed about outreach and any enforcement or citation activity.

What the record shows: Residents reported observed I&I, alleged possible illegal sump pump hookups to sanitary laterals and requested multiple steps (investigation, inspections, enforcement plan and reporting). Village staff noted recent inspections but did not provide a definitive on‑the‑record finding that sump pumps had been tied to sanitary laterals at specific homes.

Next steps: Trustees asked staff to publish information and track enforcement/outreach progress. No formal board motion or vote on an investigation plan was recorded at the June 15 meeting.