City of Montpelier
Inventory and Assessment of Roof Drains in the Combined Sewer Service Area
Press Release
The City of Montpelier was recently awarded a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program to update the inventory of building roofs located within the City’s combined sewer service area that are connected to the sanitary sewer system. This project includes: public education and outreach, update of the status of rooftop connection or disconnections, developing alternatives and cost estimates to complete disconnections, and creation of draft ordinance language to support future implementation of a disconnection program.
Disconnecting roof drains from the sewer system has the benefit of reducing the occurrence of combined sewer overflows to the Winooski River and its tributaries, improving overall water quality. Roof drains are generally considered clean water and therefore ideal candidates for separation from the sewer collection system.
The City of Montpelier hired Aldrich + Elliott PC and Stone Environmental to execute the work. The firms have worked together on numerous stormwater projects throughout the State.
The project study area focuses on Montpelier’s combined sewer service area, including the area north of the Winooski River and bounded roughly by Bailey Avenue to the west, downtown Montpelier, and College Street to the east. The project is focused on existing buildings with flat roofs or mansard roofs, whether large or small, where roof drains may still be connected to the wastewater collection system.
Property and business owners in this area may see field crews conducting roof drain surveys in the area, smoke testing, investigation of existing infrastructure, as well as evaluating options for disconnection of roof drains.
Anyone interested in the project or with specific questions should contact Kurt Motyka, PE, City Engineer at (802) 223-9508.
