Own a Sump Pump? Listen Up

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by Paul Saulnier 1/26/12

It's bad enough if you have to have a sump pump to keep your basement dry. But what do you do with the end of the pipe that takes the water away?

That sump pump discharge pipe has to go somewhere. But when pumping five to ten gallons per minute and more, that much water soon becomes a nuisance, especially during high groundwater season. Aim the pipe at your neighbor and you will be hearing from him or her.

But aim that pipe at the street and you will be hearing from town officials. This was an especially wet season and many sump pumps got a workout. They also got the attention of the highway department and of the police department. Now that winter is here (sort of), that water is going to freeze. If it's crossing a sidewalk or a driveway and getting to the street, it becomes a hazard to navigation for both vehicles and for pedestrians. In addition the freeze-thaw cycle breaks up the pavement, causes heaving and creates a tripping hazard. Jim Sokolove is on standby.

So do something about that discharge pipe now. Chief Moore has begun to take note and you don't want to hear from him or Jim.

Posted in Police/Fire, Comments, News.

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Comments (4)

Great comments all. I called attention to this problem at the request of Chief Moore. My point was that it is illegal to discharge a sump pump to a sidewalk or a street, regards of how well designed the street drainage is. It is also illegal to connect to a storm drain, even with a check valve (I have seen what happens when these fail). It was not my point to trivialize the problem or solicit calls for design solutions. I am glad to hear that Tom can and will help homeowners.

- Paul Saulnier | 1/28/12 7:40 AM

Sorry, I couldn't resist. The author of this article is a professional engineer I believe. A civil engineer. Perhaps a fair and balanced article would have mentioned that a roadway with an appropriate crown, shoulder, curbing and drainage would direct any sump pump discharge very nicely to a catch basin designed for much greater flows. The lack of the above is the cause of the pooling and the cracking and potholes. So perhaps the issue isn't so simple. For the record Tom Smith has addressed everything I mentioned and has a good plan to help us in Mudville.

- Matt Gibbs | 1/27/12 9:57 PM

Your article trivializes a frustrating problem many of us have. The last thing we want to do is create a hazard for anyone but when the only alternative is flooding a neighbors yard or your own septic system the road becomes the only choice. I have met with DPW director Tom Smith and several Holliston Police officers. They have all been very understanding and appreciated of the challenge. I don't think you are speaking accurately to their position on this issue. Your reference to lawyers is distasteful. Your assumption that we don't care about the annoyance and potential hazard is just that, an assumption. I for one care very much.

- Matt Gibbs | 1/27/12 9:37 PM

With town support, an obvious solution is to pump this clean surface water directly into the storm drain, with a back lash valve to prevent a back up in case of overload. When the water is pumped onto the property, it will eventually return to the basement for recycling. This surface water problem is common to many sections of Holliston and should be addressed with a reasonable solution.

- Pumper | 1/27/12 4:23 PM

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Own a Sump Pump? Listen Up

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