More than three years after it was launched, Oak Park’s sewer backup prevention grant program has helped 184 households make improvements to address basement flooding.
A recent customer satisfaction survey of grant recipients found that 92 percent of respondents were satisfied with the results of the program. Perhaps most importantly, 88 percent of survey respondents said they hadn’t experienced flooding since installing the improvements the Village grant helped to fund.
Qualifying households can apply for a grant of 50 percent of the total cost of improvements up to $3,500 to install a backflow prevention valve or an overhead sewer system. To date, the program has committed to pay some $575,720 in grants, which has helped spur an additional $875,500 in private investment.
The customer satisfaction survey yielded about 68 responses from program participants, or about a 37-percent response rate, which officials say is a good representative sample.
The size of the average grant delivered through the program so far is about $3,100 — less than the maximum allowed — and the average total project cost topped $7,900. The program’s funds have been committed for 2015, but officials expect it to return next year.
The sewer backup prevention grant program was created after a 2011 study of Oak Park’s sewer system capacity. A report commissioned by the Village recommended a number of prevention steps, including urging property owners to disconnect downspouts and creating a grant-funded flood control improvements program.
For more information on the backup protection grant program visit www.oak-park.us/sewergrant or email housing@oak-park.us.