Illicit connections occur in various forms and sizes. These often involve unintended discharges of wastewater into stormwater systems, leading to pollution of receiving waters. However, they can also involve unwanted discharges of (storm)water into sewer systems, which may overload pumps or leave no hydraulic capacity for the expansion of neighborhoods connected to that pump. The issue may sometimes be on public property (making repairs relatively easy), but it can also occur within private residences or commercial buildings (which makes repairs more difficult).

 

A key question surrounding illicit connections is whether detecting and fixing them is cost-effective. Once all the misconnections are resolved, will the desired water quality in the pond be achieved? Or are there still other significant sources of pollution, such as dogs, birds, or falling leaves? Would an end-of-pipe solution, like a screening device at the outlet or an improved separate system (VGS 2.0), be a better option?

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We have extensive experience advising on illicit connections, both in terms of cost-effectiveness and in detecting and resolving illicit connections in stormwater and sewer systems. For example, we can conduct DTS measurements or use other techniques depending on the situation.