I think you should have a licenced sewer contractor look at that situation.
I lived in several houses and small apartments in Chicago over a thirty
eight year period. My understanding was that the kitchen and laundry should
drain into the catchbasin. Often gutters and downspouts were also plumbed in
as well. The goal was to trap grease, lint and other material that would
cause clogs in the sewer mains. The other respondents are correct, Chicago
has a "combined" system. Meaning that in the city there is no seperate
"storm water drain" system. All water, domestic and runoff goes into the
same sewers. However, I do not believe that these "catchbasins" were "septic
tanks". Human waste should go into the drain down stream of the catch basin.
However, in Chicago, you are liable to find just about anything. Until the
Big Tunnel project, often one found great quanities of water in one's
basement that contained very nasty stuff when the city's single sewer system
was overloaded and "backed up".
"Todd" <toddvb-...@qx.net> wrote in message
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