Overview
Our storm sewer system is designed to drain excess rain and ground water from our streets sidewalks, parking lots and roofs.
In the Village of South Chicago Heights, there are two main types of storm water drain inlets; side inlets and grated inlets.
Side Inlets
Side inlets are the typical type seen adjacent to curbs in our streets. This type relies greatly on the curb to block in water, which is why they are typically depressed at the invert; to improve the ability to capture a greater amount of water.
Grated Inlets
Grated inlets have gratings or grids to prevent large objects and/or debris from mixing into the sewer system. Unfortunately, many small objects are able to fall through, due to the wide spacing in the grids. Catch basins or sumps are able to catch many of the foreign objects because they are located directly below the grating.
Storm Water Pollutants
Many common contaminants enter the storm sewer system, such as: