About 60 Mentor Residents Have Applied for City's Sewer Backup Grant Program

About 60 Mentor residents applied for the city's sanitary sewer backup reduction grant program since it was announced in late July, city manager Ken Filipiak said.

The residents want to make repairs to prepare them for floods like the one that hit Mentor on July 20.

"Eleven backflow prevention devices have been approved for construction, to date," Filipiak said during his manager's report at this week's city council meeting. "The engineer's department continues to schedule inspections with residents."

Last month, city council approved a grant reimbursement maximum of $2,500 for their projects.

Eligible property owners must:

• Have experienced backup problems since Feb. 28, 2011, which was the last large-scale flood date prior July 20, Filipiak said. Verification will be determined by the city through documentation of such an event being reported to the city, the county utilities department or an insurance provider.

• Have less than three feet of vertical separation from the county's sanitary sewer system.

• Eligible work under the program includes eliminating basement connections; installing backflow/backwater check valves, floor drain plugs, float plugs or stand pipes; converting to overhead or high-wall plumbing; or other improvements approved by the city's engineer and chief building official that would prevent sanitary sewage from entering the home through fixtures or connections to the public system.