Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District Illegal Sewer Connections FAQ

What is an illegal sewer connection?

An illegal sewer connection is anything that allows ground water, snowmelt, or other water that isn’t wastewater to enter into a home’s plumbing system. A common example of this is sump pumps.

Why is it harmful to discharge “clean” water to the sewer system?

Discharging “clean” water to the sewer system can be very harmful for multiple reasons.   First, the District’s treatment facilities use micro-organisms “bugs” to break down or eat organic waste.  When the amount of organic waste is diluted with too much clean water, the bugs can starve, resulting in an imbalance in the treatment process that is extremely difficult to correct.   Second, sewer lines and treatment facilities are designed to handle a certain volume of wastewater.  One home with multiple sump pumps can contribute as much as 100 times the amount of water as a typical home.  This huge increase in volume can result in backups in homes from too much flow and can overwhelm the District’s treatment facilities.

If I am not sure if I have an illegal connection, what should I do?

Contact Dan Olson, Collection System Manager, at 435-214-5227 or disconnect@sbwrd.org to schedule a free inspection of your property by the District.

Can the District identify if I have an illegal connection without entering my home?

The District has the ability to install monitoring devices to evaluate the flow from individual homes. Also, routine video inspections of the sewer main lines are used to identify illegal connections. When illegal connections are actively flowing, they can easily be spotted.

Is there a benefit to scheduling a free inspection vs. waiting to be notified by the District of an illegal connection?

Yes! If an illegal connection is found during an inspection, the District will waive all fines, penalties and user fees for the illegal connection for 1 year. Additionally, the District may provide up to $3,500 in assistance to help cover the cost of correcting the illegal connection.

If illegal connections are discovered through other methods, the District may assess fines, penalties, and user fees regardless of whether you were aware of the illegal connection.

How is the amount of assistance from the District determined?

If the cost to correct the illegal connection is less than $1,500, the entire cost can be reimbursed.

If the cost to correct is between $1,500 and $5,500, the first $1,500 can be reimbursed at 100% and the balance can be reimbursed at 50% (up to a maximum reimbursement of $3,500).

If the cost to correct is above $5,500, then $3,500 can be reimbursed.

Rebate Form

What is the typical cost to correct an illegal connection?

The costs can vary significantly. Over the last year, the cost has averaged $3,763, with 18% of corrections being above $4,000 and 82% being below $4,000.

Why is the District willing to reimburse property owners?

The seasonal spikes in wastewater flow at the treatment facilities place significant stress on the facilities. A single medium-sized sump pump operating eight hours/day at a rate of 40 gallons/minute will discharge approximately 19,200 gallons/day (576,000 gallons/month). This is the equivalent wastewater flow for about 60 homes!

What fines, penalties, and user fees can be charged if illegal connections go unresolved?

Fines & Penalties: An illegal sewer connection is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor and a fine of up to $1,000.00 per day.

User Fees: the District may assess back user fees for up to five years based on the estimated amount of the illegal flow.  For a medium sized sump pump, this could result in a user fee of approximately $111,700.00.  In accordance with State law, the user fee may be certified as a lien against your property and included on your property taxes.