Many downspouts on homes in Lake County are directly connected to the stormsewer system, discharging thousands of gallons of stormwater off a single roof each year.
For example, the average rainfall in Lake County during the year 2007 was 32.8 inches. That means that a 1,000 square foot rooftop would have generated over 20,400 gallons of runoff during the year. This runoff is channeled into connected downspouts and then into the stormsewer, which if filled to capacity could begin to overflow.
The overflow goes directly into Lake County streams and rivers, or in the worst cases may backup in the system’s pipes and results in flooding of streets and basements.