Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

There is no charge to property owners for inspections completed during this program if the inspections are conducted by the City. Property owners have the option to hire a private plumber to complete their inspection, in which case the plumber's fees would be at property owner's expense.

A typical inspection is completed in under 30 minutes.

The inspector will be looking specifically for improper connections to the sanitary sewer, and will not be looking for anything else in your home.

Generally, if your property has a sump pump or seepage collection system, locate it and make sure it is visible to the inspector. Also, locate the main sewer stack and cleanout for the property and make sure it can be accessed by our inspector. Don't worry, if you need help with any of this, our inspectors can help during the inspection. 

Yes, in the interest of fairness to all residents, all selected buildings will be inspected regardless of whether a sump pump or basement is present. 

Yes, it is mandatory to complete an inspection. The City's Title 13 of the Municipal Code of Ordinances allows the City to verify compliance with plumbing code and verify no clear water connections to the sanitary sewer are present. In any event, it’s the neighborly thing to do to make sure your sump pump  isn’t going into the sanitary sewer because your clear water may end up in someone’s basement as overflow.

In general, the inspector will be looking to verify that sump pumps, roof drains, footing drains, and other clear water sources are not connected to the sanitary sewer system, or have the potential to do so.

In 2024/2025 portions of the Northeast and South-Central areas of Algona will receive notification letters to schedule an inspection . To stagger inspection times, these areas are divided into four sectors designated by color: Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green. The program will begin with the Red sector, followed by the Yellow, Blue, and Green sectors.  If you are in one of these color-designated sectors, you will be notified via a letter to schedule your inspection in 2024/2025.  The letter will include a unique login user name and password for the scheduling website. You can search for your property on this  map to determine which sector you are in.

Either use this secure website to see all available times or call this number to schedule an appointment.

Yes, you may hire a licensed plumber to conduct the sump inspection.

 

If you want the sump inspection completed by a plumber, the inspection forms are available at City Hall and in the notice section. The plumber's fees to conduct the inspection will be at the Owner's expense. The completed form must be signed by a licensed plumber and returned to City Hall.

There is no penalty if your property isn't compliant during the initial inspection. We will require that the issue be corrected and reinspected. 

The cost to correct plumbing will vary depending on the work to be performed. The majority of sump pump or seepage collection repairs, if needed, will be for relatively minor changes that can often be done by the homeowner with materials purchased at a hardware store for under $100. Sometimes there are situations that require more complicated work such as the installation of a new sump pit  which could range from approximately $500 to $6000. Every case will be different. We encourage you to seek advice from a licensed plumber or underground contractor if considering any major corrections or footing drain repairs. All work must be done in compliance with the current Universal Plumbing Code (UPC) and City Ordinances.

The City will not require you to install a sump pump if there are not any potential clear water connections to the sanitary sewer. However, if you have a beaver drain (seepage collection system), roof drain, driveway drain, existing sump pit with no pump, or other clear water connection that is currently draining by gravity into your sanitary sewer, you may need to install a sump pump to redirect the clear water to the exterior of the building to be compliant.

It depends on the type of repairs needed.  Most sump pump repairs are relatively minor,  such as replacing a flexible hose with rigid piping inside the building or filling in an unused pit.  These types of repairs can  often be done by the homeowner with materials purchased at a hardware store.  

 

However, there are situations where the work may be more complex and may require a licensed plumber or contractor, such as  a footing drain connection,  installing a new sump pit, or connecting the discharge underground to the storm subdrain.

 

Every case will be different. We encourage you to seek advice from a licensed plumber or contractor if you are considering any major repairs. All work, regardless of who performs it, must comply with the current Universal Plumbing Code (UPC) and City Ordinances.

A $100 monthly 'clear water' surcharge will be applied to your utility bill until an inspection is completed to verify that no clear water connections are present within your home or building.

Great questions! There are two types of sewer systems running down each public street serving the homes and businesses on that block: sanitary sewer, and storm sewer.

• The sanitary sewer drains dirty wastewater from daily activities and transports it to the City's wastewater treatment plant. The wastewater treatment plant processes the wastewater utilizing an extensive series of mechanical, chemical, and biological purification processes before discharging it back into the environment.
• The storm sewer system handles relatively clean rain water and ground water ('clear water') and discharges it to the river with minimal treatment.

The sanitary and storm sewer systems are two separate piping systems that should remain separate. If storm water enters the sanitary sewer, it can cause backups and overflows, resulting in a higher sewer rate and extra costs to upsize the sanitary unnecessarily.

In summary, here are the items that should go into the sanitary sewer, and storm sewer systems:

Sanitary sewer: Toilets, showers, dishwashers, washing machines, and other 'dirty' water generated from daily activities. Small volumes of furnace or dehumidifier condensate and water softener backwash are also allowed.

Storm sewer: Rain water and ground water from sump pumps, seepage collection systems (beaver drains), roof drains, gutters, exterior driveway or sidewalk drains. Pools should be emptied into the storm sewer only after dechlorination.

Some examples of proper and improper hookups are included in the public meeting presentation linked on the Notices page on this site.

See Storm Sewer vs Sanitary Sewer - What's the difference? (PDF) for additional information. 

Yes, your basement floor drain is supposed to hook into the sanitary sewer.

In most cases, your neighbor should be able to direct his/her discharge so it does not impact your property or the public right-of-way. City Ordinance requires no discharge be directed in a way that impacts neighboring properties or any city street, sidewalk or right-of-way.