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Water - Sewer Maintenance

Show All Answers

1. Do the sanitary and storm system work together?

No. The City has a separate system. The storm sewer works to drain rainwater directly to the area rivers and streams. The sanitary system takes all wastewater to the sewage treatment plant for treatment prior to its discharge into the river.

2. Do I have to be home when they clean the sanitary main?

No. All lines are cleaned routinely and the homeowners on that street need not be home. If the cleaning activity is a result of the homeowner calling in a complaint about a flooded basement, it is preferable that the crew be able to go inside to investigate the problem, but this is not absolutely necessary.

3. What do the green paint marks mean?

Green paint is the color designated for sewer lines by the Ohio Utilities Protection Service or OUPS. Whenever anyone is going to do utility work that requires digging into the ground (gas or water lines, light poles, electric, telephone, or cable lines, etc.) they must call OUPS two days in advance and a representative from the utility company will go to the proposed site and mark any utility they have underground with their designated color. This is done to prevent damage to their utilities that may be in the way of the work to be performed.

4. How does grease get into the main?

Grease enters from homes and / or restaurant pouring their used cooking grease down the drain. This grease will solidify in their own service lines as well as the sewer main and will lead to blockage of the lines causing backups and flooding. Residents should allow cooking oil and grease to cool down, then discard it in the trash can. Restaurants and other businesses should have grease traps installed and properly maintained.

5. How often should I have my house lateral cleaned for roots?

There is no rule of thumb here, it would depend on the condition of the lateral, as well as if trees or shrubs are near the lateral causing a root problem.

6. Why do I get an odor in my basement?

This condition would most likely be caused by the water in a basement fixture trap (toilet, sink, floor drain etc.) evaporating allowing sewer gas to come through the trap. Poor water into all fixtures that have a trap to correct the situation.

7. Is my house lateral hooked to the catch basin?

No. They are two separate systems. However, if it is found that a lateral was illegally hooked into the catch basin at some time in the past, the line would be disconnected. The property owner would be financially responsible to have the lateral connected to the sanitary sewer main.

8. What are the procedures for a broken house lateral?

After it has been confirmed that a lateral is in fact broken the procedures for repair will depend on where the break is. If the break is on your side of the curb it can be repaired by a licensed plumber after a permit is pulled. If the break is in the street side of the curb the plumber must pull the permit and then get in contact with Sewer Maintenance to have City crews do all work that would be required from the Sewer main to the curb. The City would then charge the plumber for work to the main and the plumber charges you.

9. What is Montgomery County Sewer Maintenance number?

Montgomery County Sewer and Water emergencies can be reported at 937-496-7004.

10. Who do I call about the animals in the catch basin?

Animal nuisance problems are not the responsibility of the Division of Sewer Maintenance. These complaints should be forwarded to a private animal nuisance professional or the Combined Health District.

11. How much does it cost for a sewer tap?

That depends on a number of factors such as, length of lateral, depth of main, class of street etc. A schedule of prices can be obtained from the Division of Sewer Maintenance by calling 333-4915.

12. Why does my basement flood when it rains heavy?

An overtaxed sewer main due to heavy rain could be caused by a number of things. Roof downspouts draining too close to the house, a problem with the perimeter or foundation drains, problems with a sump-pump, or a blockage of the main could also be the cause etc.(are all examples of internal plumbing problems.) An overtaxed sewer main due to the heavy rain or a blockage of the main could also be the cause. Although we may not be able to determine the exact cause of the problem, Sewer Maintenance can determine if it is being caused by a problem with the sewer main, or if it is an internal plumbing problem.

13. Can I use Pine-Sol or is your disinfectant better?

Pine-Sol or any other disinfectant is good to use in the event of sewage back up, the product our crews use is actually to deodorize and not a true disinfectant.

14. Will sewer odor hurt me?

Sewer Odor should not cause serious health problems, but may cause nausea, ventilate or leave the area if you feel sick from the odor.

15. Who is responsible for the sewer lateral?

The property owner is responsible for the lateral from the house to the sewer main. A plumber who is licensed with the City of Dayton is required to pull a plumbing permit to make repairs to existing laterals or make new installations of service laterals, when a problem exists in a homeowner's lateral. All work done in the street must be completed by City crews. The City charges the plumber for all work done in the street and the plumber charges the property owner.

16. How long will it take the sewer maintenance crew to get here?

The crew will respond to all calls as quickly as possible. However, the order the calls come in, as well as the nature of the problem, will dictate the order they are responded to. Our goal is to answer all calls within ninety minutes of time received.

17. Why is my toilet gurgling?

As part of the maintenance of sewers, equipment used to clean has a hose and nozzle that sprays water at very high pressure to scour the inside of the pipe. Sometimes this high pressure can create an air vacuum effect, drawing air through house laterals and this vacuum or back-pressure could cause a "gurgling" in the toilet of homes.

18. Would you locate my sanitary main?

The Sewer Main is the sole responsibility of Sewer Maintenance to clean or repair. If some special need would arise that required the homeowner to obtain the Main location, it would be provided by calling Sewer Maintenance at 333-4915. All utilities can be located by calling Ohio Utilities Protection Service at 1-800-362-2764. This needs to be done 48 hours before you dig.

19. Would you come out and locate my house lateral?

No. How ever this information can sometimes be found by calling plumbing inspection at 333-3892 and asking for a "lateral location" for the property. Also, the homeowner can hire a plumber who can use an electronic probe or other methods to help determine location.

20. Who do I need to talk to about getting a catch basin put in front of my house?

Call the Division of Sewer Maintenance at 333-4915 to report problems with drainage near your property and street flooding, as well as any other sewer related problems. We will work with other city agencies, such as Water Engineering, to determine what steps are needed to correct these problems.

21. Why did water splash out of my toilet?

As part of the maintenance of sewers they are cleaned using a hose and nozzle that sprays water at very high pressure to scour the inside of the pipe. Sometimes this high pressure can force water to travel backward up the service line of homes causing water to be forced out of drains inside the home.

22. Will I be charged to have a catch basin cleaned?

No. Catch basins are part of the public storm sewer system and are the responsibility of the Division of Sewer Maintenance. A seasonal program is used to clean the (thousands of catch basins located throughout the city. The storm water fee you pay helps to maintain this program.

23. Will I be charged for a broken catch basin in front of my house?

No. Catch basins are part of the public storm sewer system and are the responsibility of the Division of Sewer Maintenance. If a problem exists in your area, contact the Division of Sewer Maintenance and a crew will investigate the complaint for potential repair.

24. Why am I paying a Storm Water fee? I don't have a storm sewer.

The storm fee was created due to a new EPA mandate to improve the quality of water being discharged to rivers and streams to reduce pollution. The fee is charged to any property within the City's corporate limit having it's rain water runoff conveyed either through the storm water sewer system directly or indirectly through other channels to the public storm sewers discharging to a river and/or stream. A portion of the fee is designated to the overall maintenance of the existing storm water system. The fee is also used to help educate the public and private industries on how to employ best practices to reduce pollution in the rainwater leaving their properties going to local rivers and streams. Additionally, street sweeping is also an activity supported by the fee in an effort to reduce litter and other contaminants on the street from reaching the rivers.