Reducing surface flooding on Freeport’s streets and storm water inflow and infiltration into its
wastewater system is one of many goals Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller says she would like to pursue over
the next four years. Doing a better job in managing storm water will pay dividends in both safety and
expense.

“We always want to do the best job we can in reducing surface flooding on our streets during heavy rain
events,” says Mayor Miller. “By replacing or reengineering some of the oldest parts of our storm water
collection system we can help make Freeport streets safer.”
 

Over the past eight years the city has been systematically addressing many of the storm water systems
issues. Collection systems near the former Furst McNess building, Jackson Street behind the Rawleigh
Building, and on Cherry Street have already been replaced or modernized.
 

Mayor Miller says the city is currently engineering and fixing smaller collection systems on Kiwanis Drive,
Sioux Drive, and downtown Freeport. Eliminating storm water inflow and infiltrating the city’s wastewater treatment system is another issue the city will continue to work on over the next four years.
 

“When storm water gets into our wastewater treatment system it can cause a number of issues,” says
Mayor Miller. “Storm water in the system during a significant rain event can overload and put a lot of
operating stress on our wastewater treatment plant. We need to reduce that stress. Additionally,
treating storm water—that normally should just flow untreated into the Pecatonica River—creates
unwarranted expense. We need to reduce those costs.”
 

Mayor Miller says she’d like to see inflow and infiltration of storm water into the wastewater treatment
system be reduced by at least 25% by 2029. By eliminating inflow surface and cross connections into
the system and lining wastewater treatment pipes to reduce infiltration, Mayor Miller is confident the
city can meet the goal.