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Sewage overflows occur when sewer pipes are blocked or
restricted, causing wastewater to back up in the pipe and flow out through
manholes or other outlets. Most overflows are relatively small and can be
stopped and cleaned up quickly. Left unattended, however, overflows can result
in property damage, bad-smelling odors and environmental problems. In a
worst-case scenario, they can create public health and safety hazards.
Sewer lines can
become blocked due to roots, grease buildup, or debris in the pipes.
When this occurs, wastewater is stopped by the blockage and then
backs up toward the first possible outlet. Most of the time this is
a manhole. However, sometimes the outlet is a fixture or drain in a
customer's home or business.
When a sewage backup occurs, WCWD responds
immediately - 24 hours per day. Our crews locate the blockage and determine if it is in
the public sewer; if it is, the crew removes the blockage.
Property owners are
responsible for internal plumbing and lateral
pipes.
However, if a backup
occurs within your private internal plumbing or in the lateral pipe
or building sewer that connects your property to the public sewer, this
is your (or the property owner's) responsibility, and WCWD cannot
remove the blockage or make the necessary repairs. You should
contact a licensed plumbing contractor to make repairs. A WCWD
permit is required for sewer work outside of a building.
The District's goal is to prevent all overflows from blockages or from excessive rainwater or groundwater entering the sanitary sewer system. The building sewers are a significant source of groundwater entering the sanitary sewer system especially during wet weather. The District requires that testing of all building sewers is required prior to sale or transfer of buildings to minimize this infiltration of groundwater. For information on the requirements on sale or transfer of buildings see the link on the WCWD web site home page.
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