Milwaukee has a combined sewer system where stormwater runoff and sewage is collected in the same pipe. Milwaukee has evaluated the feasibility of using uninhabited houses to temporarily store combined sewage and stormwater in the basement following rain events. The basement locations will be empty houses already scheduled to be razed. City officials were looking for options to more effectively manage stormwater as part of their sustainability plan and the idea came about because the propensity for overflows is greater in the same area where there are hundreds of foreclosed houses.  Most of the houses cannot be economically salvaged and are to be razed by the city. A pilot program is in the works to build a “BaseTern” before next year’s rainy season. The basement will be converted to allow stored wastewater/stormwater out through the floor drain or drain into the ground through constructed holes or a combination of both.  Geogrid spacers will be used to fill the basement void and will be covered using geotextile fabric with gravel and topsoil comprising the “lid” for the basement storage space.  The city is planning to use the ground level top space for urban gardens (i.e. green roof).  According to city engineers, the placement of BaseTerns will be dependant upon location and surrounding infrastructure.

For the curious, there was no mention of odor or vector control in the news release.  Source:  http://www.asce.org/cemagazine/Article.aspx?id=23622332184#.VAnxV2p0zcs