Stormwater: Gutters and Downspouts

Gutters and downspouts collect and channel rainwater

Installations and repairs must follow stormwater guidelines

By South Fayette Township Staff

Let’s put our mind in the gutter—and also the downspout.

As part of stormwater management, South Fayette Township must ensure that gutters and downspouts are properly installed on homes.

When operating correctly, gutters collect rainwater from the roof, and downspouts channel the water to the ground, away from a home’s foundation.

Gutters collect rainwater from the roof.

When a problem occurs, the best solution is to make repairs and simply return the gutter and downspout to their original state.

However, that approach is not always simple or cost effective, and when that is the case, a new system needs to be installed.

Whether planning an installation or repair, the question arises: “How do I manage the water?”

South Fayette Township’s stormwater ordinance states, in short, that water cannot be released into the street or directly affect neighboring properties.

Even if your home currently releases water to the street, any new work will not be permitted to do that, and new discharges cannot be added to existing drainpipes that flow to the street.

Connecting to the sanitary sewer (the destination of toilet flushes and dirty water) is not an option.

Here are a few options for discharging water:

• The easiest, most inexpensive option is to allow the stormwater to drain to the surface of your property. Make sure you have enough area for the water to infiltrate the ground before the water can reach the street or neighboring properties. You also should ensure that this “daylighting” will not cause water to seep into the soil directly next to your own home, affecting your foundation.

Downspouts channel rainwater to the ground.

• The next best option is to connect to either the township’s storm sewer system at the street or your homeowner association’s roof drain collectors. However, getting to those pipes or a road inlet is not always easy due to objects in the way like driveways, sidewalks, and sheds or other structures on your property. Connections to those pipes require prior township approval and must be inspected prior to backfill.

• A third option is to install a dry well, which is a pit in the ground filled with stone that allows water to infiltrate the surrounding soil. For more information on dry wells, please refer to spring 2022 issue of South Fayette Connect.

As always, call 811 or visit paonecall.org before you dig.

Stormwater information: southfayettepa.com/water.