Heavy rain is generally good news, but the downside is that it typically overburdens Richmond’s aging sanitary sewer system, causing infiltration of ground water into pipes that don’t have the capacity to handle it in a phenomenon called “inflow and infiltration.” Some of this affects sewer mains, but it also affects privately owned laterals that are typically of lower quality than mains and are inspected only when a property is sold.

Today, the City of Richmond reported three sewage overflow events that totaled nearly 200,000 gallons.

The mains that overflowed are on the list of pipes to be upgraded in the future.

Maintaining the pipes is contractually a responsibility of Veolia, but the City provides the capital funds for the upgrade from bonds paid for by sewer fees.

Some of Richmond’s sewer system uses clay pipes that were laid a hundred years ago but have an expected life of only 50-60 years.