Sewer Drain Back Ups
Nothing spells out stress like a sewer drain back up; talk about dirty business taking over very quickly – YUCK.
Beyond the panicked calls we get to come and see to this emergency situation ASAP, we are also asked for our opinion on who is responsible to pay for the damages.
Clearly if something happens on your property it’s yours to take care of, but when it comes to you water and sewage the City of Hamilton does play a role and joins hands with each homeowner to a point.
Customers want to know what caused the damage, and then who is on the hook to pay for what. We can more than appreciate the stress associated with this type of emergency scenario, not to mention the cost. Having said that we’re taking sometime to explain the division of responsibility so if you do wind up with a backed up sewer, you’ll have some idea as to what will fall on your end.
Responsibility Of The Homeowner
In case you were unaware, your own personal sewer system exists on your property. Your wastewater is collected and funnelled away from your home to the main sewer line by something called a sanitary lateral. From that point on it continues to flow out to the City of Hamilton’s wastewater treatment facility
Another item you have that you may or may not be aware of is your foundation drain. Its job is different that the lateral’s job as it collects any and all groundwater that pools all around your house from the rain or spring thaw and is never mixed with the wastewater. This groundwater does move onto the City as well and is stored in their storm water management ponds.
Responsibility Of The City of Hamilton
The City of Hamilton of course has their own responsibilities and they support their accountability through routine maintenance, repairs and cleanings. Officials work to uphold checks and balances in place to ensure clean and dirty water is flowing to where it should be. Unfortunately nothing is perfect and this situation can get out of control on occasion – no one tells Mother Nature what to do! Higher than normal increases in water levels due to heavy storms or major thaws after the winter create what is called “surcharging”. Blockages from waste and debris, structural defects and construction sites pulling on the water supply can also cause surcharging to occur.
OK! So Who Has To Pay For What?!
HOMEOWNER: The sanitary and storm sewer lateral that run from your home all the way to your property line is on you.
THE CITY: The sanitary and storm sewer laterals that from your property line out to the roads and sewers is on the city.
If you still have further questions on this subject or have any other plumbing concerns, give us a call today at John THE Plumber Hamilton; we are here to help and always happy to do so!
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