Guide

Sewer backups in Columbus

If sewage has come up through your basement floor drain, two things matter: reporting it to the city quickly and getting it cleaned up properly. This page explains both.

Call (380) 214-0333

Murky water backed up around a basement floor drain

Whom to call

Sewer backup

Sewer Maintenance Operations Center, 24 hours: 614-645-7102. Or 311 / 614-645-3111.

Street flooding

311 or 614-645-3111.

Project Dry Basement

614-645-8404, for questions about the backflow device program.

Cleanup

A restoration contractor. The city does not clean up private property.

Project Dry Basement

Since 2004 the city has run Project Dry Basement, which covers the cost of an approved backflow prevention device for single- and two-family homes in Columbus that have had sewer backups. According to the program fact sheet, a home qualifies if the backup was first reported to the city and city staff determine it was caused by excess rainwater in the sanitary sewers, and the backup has to be reported within 24 hours so the cause can be determined.

There is no direct cost to the homeowner for basic installation, done by the city's certified plumbing contractor; any extra work, such as rerouting the service line, is itemized and discussed first. The device only stops sanitary sewer backups through a basement drain. It does nothing about water seeping through walls or windows, and once installed it becomes part of your sewer line, which you maintain.

Your lateral, the city's sewer

The pipe that carries wastewater from your house to the public sewer is the lateral. The city's Blueprint Columbus lateral lining brochure says homeowners are responsible for maintaining their laterals and the city for its own portion. In older homes, laterals are usually clay pipe, which can crack or fill with roots over time.

A clue to where the problem is: if only your house backs up, especially in dry weather, suspect your own line and call a plumber. If neighbors back up too during heavy rain, the public sewer may be surcharging, which is what Project Dry Basement is for.

Sump pump pit with PVC discharge pipe and battery backup in a basement corner

Blueprint Columbus

Blueprint Columbus is the city's plan to stop sanitary sewer overflows by keeping rainwater out of the sanitary sewer. It has four parts: lining laterals, redirecting roof water, a voluntary sump pump program and green infrastructure. In the neighborhoods where it is working, the city lines eligible laterals and installs sump pumps with battery backup at no direct cost to the homeowner. Its office is at 910 Dublin Road, 614-645-1253.

Why sump pumps: in Columbus homes built before the 1960s, the foundation drain connects directly to the sanitary sewer (sump pump brochure). Disconnecting it and pumping that water outside takes rainwater out of the sewer.

Sewage in the basement?

Talk to a Columbus restoration contractor

One call connects you with an independent restoration contractor serving Columbus and nearby suburbs. Tell them what happened, where the water came from and how long it has been wet.

Water in the house? Talk to a restoration contractor now.

You are connected with an independent water damage restoration contractor that serves your part of central Ohio.

Call (380) 214-0333

Calls may be recorded. See the referral disclosure and privacy policy.