The Footing Drain Program is a grant program initiated to help the City of Ames alleviate the amount of unnecessary water being discharged into the sanitary sewers. Where storm sewers are available, the discharge of clean sump water is diverted from sanitary sewer lines to storm sewer lines.
You may qualify for a Footing Drain Program grant if:
Why should you take part in this program?
Now that you have a Footing Drain Contract, what should you do?
It is your responsibility to hire a plumber to divert the sump pump discharge from the sanitary sewer to the storm sewer on your property. In addition, you will need to pay the plumber on his/her terms independent of your contract with the City of Ames. This may mean paying the plumber before your grant is processed with the City.
You’ve completed the plumbing work. What happens next?
When the plumbing is complete the plumber will notify the City. The City will make one or two inspections of the work. There will be an inspection of the plumbing before the lines are covered. If a separate electrical circuit is required for the sump pump, there will be an additional inspection of this work. After the inspections, the plumbing inspector will submit the contract to the City for payment. It will take approximately three weeks, or 15 working days, to issue your check.
Your contract with the City promises to pay a pre-designated dollar amount when the connection to have your sump water discharged into the storm sewer is complete.
The grant is for the dollar amount determined by the City to be the value of the work. If your bill is more, you may have had special plumbing needs not considered requirements for the City’s program. The grant is an incentive, not a reimbursement for plumbing fees.
When does the work need to be done?
After you sign a Footing Drain contract with the City of Ames you have until the end of the fiscal year, June 30, to complete the conversion. Funding is appropriated on an annual basis. The City of Ames will hold a contract until June 30th of the fiscal year in which it was signed. The contract will expire on that date. If the connection was not completed, you will need to apply for a new contract in order to participate in the program.
You are not required to take part in the program if you sign a contract. Signing a contract guarantees that you will receive the grant if you follow through. But it is not a promise on your part to fulfill the contract.
Other information you need to know
Grants are considered taxable income, so you will receive a 1099 tax form at the end of the year. If you have questions, please contact your accountant or attorney.
If you would like to participate in the program, call the City of Ames at 515-239-5151.