Dear Editor,
The District of Kent Public Works deserves a HUGE thank-you for their tireless work during the atmospheric river events. For all of us on the town sewer system, they saved us from having to deal with a sewer backup in our homes. The employees spent many, many, many hours pumping the overflow of the sewer lift stations which had become inundated with water due to the normal flow through small holes in manhole covers but also due to many District of Kent residents who are plumbing their sump pumps into the sanitary sewer system.
This causes unnecessary capacity/ stress on the sewer treatment plant and can lead to sewer system backups. As a courtesy to everyone on the Kent sanitary sewer system, I would like to strongly encourage these residents to divert their sump pump water into the storm drainage system instead. We have seen so many great community efforts during the past months and as a community I know we can support each other by helping out in this area as well.
Thank you to all District of Kent employees for your excellent work.
Colleen Gingerich
District of Kent