The Hammond Sanitary District says it isn't to blame for flooded basements during the July 5 storms. The city had 74 confirmed basement backups, according to Mayor Tom McDermott Jr.
"I apologize to anybody that was affected by this," McDermott said during Monday's city council meeting. "Obviously, these storms are getting more intense, more frequently."
He said the intense rainfall simply overwhelmed the system. "All pumps and all structures were operating properly. All pumps and all structures were well-maintained. The sewer system is cleaned regularly and had been cleaned in this area recently. We have an approved sewer maintenance program that's monitored," McDermott read from a sanitary district statement.
The city is looking at ways it can help. McDermott said the Hammond Sanitary District already offers to cover half the cost of home backflow preventers, but he's open to increasing the city's share.
"If we were going to do relief, I think that's the best relief we can give anybody is to try to figure out how to — instead of giving them mops, to give them the backflow preventer because this problem will go away with that," McDermott told council members. "It's more expensive than a mop is, but it's a preventer. We're not going to be talking about this again."
But resident Ken Rosek felt backflow preventers can't replace the need for sustainable development, in the response to climate change. "We've got to start developing this town smart because, now, we've reached a point, a tipping point," Rosek said.
He's been a vocal critic of plans to build a railroad overpass on the site of Hessville's Briar East Woods.
