Street Flooding Causes Sewer Back in Multiple Homes in West Seneca

3/20/2021 (Permalink)

A basement in West Seneca that suffered from a sewage back up. SERVPRO of East Erie County provided cleanup services.

Heavy rain is no stranger to Western NY especially in the summer months.  A cold front meets a warm front creating precipitation and storms. We can get 2-4 inches of rain in an hour resulting in flooded streets, overflowing creeks, soaked lawns and unfortunately, flooded basements or roof leaks. 
Living in a flood zone or near a creek is plenty to worry about. During a torrential downpour, the rain can overwhelm the storm sewage treatment plants and pump stations.  Because of the amount of rain, the pumps cannot always keep up no matter how great the system is.  When the water has no other place to go, our backs up into our basements causing either storm water backup or feces from the sewer lines.  Some older cities have both the storm and septic lines combined into one system.  Either source contains high levels of bacteria and classified as gray or black water.  Precautions should be taken when dealing with face contaminated water.  The experts at SERVPRO of East Erie County can help with the cleanup.