News and Updates - updated 4/6/22

A public information meeting was held on Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 6:00 PM in the Community Center located at 528 Main Street. The meeting provided information on the  I&I Reduction Program in the North Cedar Heights / Park Drive area and information on the upcoming clear water inspections. Notes from the meeting are posted on the Notices section of this web site.  

About the Program

Like many cities in Iowa, Cedar Falls faces a challenge with its sanitary sewer system. During significant rainfall events the system is overloaded by excess ground water and rain water (clear water), known as inflow & infiltration (I&I). Overloaded sewers lead to basement backups and overflows of untreated sewage into the Cedar River. This is a health concern and environmental issue.

The City is being pressured by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the volume of clear water that enters the sanitary sewer system.

The City has already invested millions of dollars in improving the public sewer mains and lift stations. However, it isn’t enough to solve the problem.

The Park Drive I&I Reduction Program seeks to reduce I&I from public and private pieces of the sanitary sewer infrastructure, to reduce overloaded sewers, enhance public and water quality safety, and increase longevity of the investments made by sewer rate payers into the system. 

In December of 2021, the City conducted smoke testing of the sanitary sewer system in in this neighborhood to detect sources of clear water into the system. The testing was successful, and the defects found will be repaired in an upcoming street improvements project.

The next step in the Program is to check for and remove clear water cross connections from private sources such as sump pumps, seepage collection drains, area drains, and footing drains. The public meeting is intended to provide more information on this phase of the Program. Topics to be discussed include background on why the City is conducting this program, scheduling, inspections, next steps, and Q&A.

More information about the program and inspections is posted on the Program Information, FAQ's, and Notices pages. If you have any questions, please contact Luke Andreasen, Department of Public Works Engineering Division at (319) 268-5165.