Overhead Sewer Program

Grant Program

The City of Batavia Sewer Division is offering financial assistance to sewer utility customers who have a need for an overhead sewer to prevent sanitary sewer back-ups in their home. The installation of an overhead sewer provides insurance that sewage from the city's main lines will not come up in basement floor drains or other basement plumbing fixtures.

Those users that qualify for the financial assistance will receive a grant totaling 50% of the improvement costs up to a maximum of $3,000.

Qualifications

To qualify for the financial assistance, residents must meet the following qualifications:

  1. Property owner must show proof of previous sewer back‐up:
    1. Physical back‐up is present, or photographs of back‐up, or
    2. Proof submitted through a claim with insurance company, or
    3. Proof of back‐up as identified through a receipt from a cleaning company (i.e. ServiceMaster), or
    4. Based on the location and confirmed through a meeting with a representative of the City of Batavia with appropriate authority
  2. Basement inspection performed by a representative from the City of Batavia Building Division or a representative from The Public Works Department to determine if the home qualifies for the program.
  3. At the time of inspection the homeowner must also pass an Inflow and Infiltration Inspection. If a violation exists, such as an illegal sump pump connection, the resident must correct the sources of inflow and infiltration at their own expense prior to qualifying for this program.
  4. Submit 3 quotes from contractors showing the projected cost of the work to be performed. (The applicant may choose any of the qualified contractors, but the City of Batavia will reimburse the applicant based upon the lowest bids of the qualified contractors.)

Process

Step 1

Complete the application (PDF) and return it to:
City of Batavia Public Works
200 N Raddant Road
Batavia, IL. 60510
Attn: Overhead Sewer Program
Your application will be reviewed and you will be notified within 10 days.

Step 2

Homeowner will be notified to set up a basement inspection by the City of Batavia. Please allocate 30 to 60 minutes for this inspection.

Step 3

Homeowner will be responsible for obtaining 3 quotes and plans from contractors. Plans and quotes must be submitted to the address listed in step 1. Homeowner must obtain a building permit (at no charge). City staff will review and provide comments on how to proceed within 5 to 10 working days.

Step 4

After completion of the project you will be required to contact the city to perform a final inspection at which time a detailed invoice of the work must be provided.

Final Inspection

After the work is completed, the resident must notify and submit to the City of Batavia a detailed invoice of the work prior to scheduling the final inspection. A representative of the City of Batavia, or the city's designee, will perform a final inspection of the overhead sewer. Only those expenses related to the construction of the overhead sewer will be covered. The City of Batavia will not participate in the costs associated with paint, wallpaper, carpet, tile, etc.

After the inspection, a check for the work which will be 50% of the improvement costs up to a maximum of $3,000 will be issued by the City of Batavia. The City of Batavia will cover all costs derived through administrative time and inspections of city staff.

Goal

This program is on a first come, first serve basis. The City of Batavia reserves the right to budget more or less for this program each year, or to terminate the program. The goal of this program is to reduce the occurrence of sanitary sewer backups. An unexpected sewer collapse or obstruction, power failure, extreme weather conditions or other unforeseen factors could cause a backup. Therefore, the City of Batavia does not guarantee that a sanitary sewer backup will never occur.

The City of Batavia assumes no responsibility for any defective work or other damage, injury or loss resulting from any act of negligence by the Contractor or property owner while installing, operating, or maintaining the sewerage ejector system with overhead plumbing.

If you have questions about overhead sewers or about obtaining quotes from contractors and analyzing their proposals, please contact the City of Batavia Water and Sewer Division at 630‐454‐2450.