Chambana Sun

The Colfax Board of Trustees heard concerns from residents Jan. 4 about the village's sewer infrastructure in the Riverview Subdivision.

Dan Kukuck, who lives on Sunset Drive, said he knew of at least 10 houses that have had sewage coming up through their basement floor drains during flooding events. Kukuck speculated it had to do with an improper merging of stormwater pipes and sewer pipes, as well as illegally or improperly installed sump pump systems.

Superintendent Brian Hereford said the village has identified infiltration issues at a location on West Main Street and that village crews would borrow camera equipment to try to learn more about the problem. Hereford added that the more likely problem was the angle of drainage pipes installed in the houses in the Riverview Subdivision, which weren't put in at an angle steep enough to keep incoming water out.

The board discussed grants from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency available to help homeowners lift their drains to prevent infiltration issues and agreed to continue monitoring the situation, asking residents to keep reporting issues as they occur so officials can better understand what's happening and address the issues promptly.

In other business, Joshua Hereford was promoted from part-time to full-time public works employee at a rate of $15 per hour. The board also decided to forgo its pursuit of purchasing the Catholic church building in town, citing a number of more pressing building priorities.