4. Wash all linens in hot water or have them drycleaned. Steam clean all carpeting, if salvage-able. If not, discard. All carpet padding shouldbe discarded.

5. Salvageable items should be dried within 24-48 hours to reduce chances for mold and mil-dew growth.

6. If insulation, paneling or sheetrock have be-come wet, it will need to be removed. Allowplenty of time for drying before reinstalling in-sulation to prevent mildew.

7. For more information, contact the Ohio De-partment of Health at 866-644-6224(www.odh.ohio.gov) or the Center for DiseaseControl at 800-CDC-INFO(800-232-4636) orwww.cdc.gov

Personal Hygiene1. Wear rubber boots and waterproof gloves dur-

ing a cleanup of sewage.2. Wash hands with soap and water before pre-

paring or eating food and after handling arti-cles contaminated with sewage.

3. Avoid smoking while working in sewage-contaminated water.

4. If you have any cuts or sores, avoid contactwith the water. If they come in contact withthis water, wash them thoroughly afterwards tocontrol infection. If a wound develops redness,swelling or drainage, seek immediate medicalattention.

5. Disinfect toys using a solution of 1/2 cup ofbleach to one gallon of water.

6. Anyone receiving a puncture wound or a cutwhile cleaning up should have a doctor deter-mine whether a tetanus booster is necessary.

For further information, contact us at:

City of Marion Water Pollution Control1810 Marion-Agosta RoadMarion, Ohio 43302Phone: (740)383-6051Fax: (740)383-6052

Water in YourBasement?

What You Needto Know

City of Marion Water Pollution Control

1810 Marion-Agosta Road

Marion, Ohio 43302

Phone:(740)383-6051

Water in YourBasement

The prices for 3" and 4" plugs are typically lessthan $5.

basement. This valve is also in the $40range.

Short TermPreparation is the key to emergency prevention

of basement backups. When backup is imminent,sandbags should be placed on the floor drains and inthe plumbing fixture (toilets) to minimize the amountof water backing up into the basement. An alterna-tive to sandbaqs would be a rubber plug. These areavailable at hardware stores and plumbing suppliers.

1. Plumbing modifications may be made. Base-ment floor drains may be permanently pluggedor stand pipes, to contain incoming water levels,may be installed. Sump pumps should berouted to run out onto the grass. Basementshowers and toilets can be modified to pumpinto the household sewer at or near groundlevel. Usually water will not back up into plumb-ing fixtures at the main floor level. Problemsoccur in basements because the private servicelines are lower than the city's main sewer line.

2. Another type of plumbing change would be theinstallation of check valves. This type of valveprevents the reversal of flow or backup of sew-age into the basement Your plumbing contrac-tor should be able to obtain and install this typeof valve. These may be obtained from localsuppliers of water and wastewater products orplumbing supplies.

3. There are also plastic backwater valves. Theprices for 3" and 4" valves are in the $30-$60range. These valves are installed outside in thehomeowner's service line by a certified contrac-tor.

4. Another type of valve is a sewer relief valveand cleanout. This valve is installed outside thehouse and allows overflow at a predeterminedlevel, preventing backup of sewage into the

"The City cautions homeowners when usingany preventive measures such as plugs,standpipes, or backwater valves. They can beof significant value but none are guaranteed towork every time as conditions may vary duringeach high water episode. Further, the use ofthese devices may expose hidden flaws in thehome plumbing system that may have goneunnoticed. Pressure changes could revealother issues in and around the home. Housingstock within the City varies widely from essen-tially new to homes in excess of 100 years old.Records of plumbing changes and homeowneractivities over the years are impossible to trackor accurately documents. Therefore, the Citytakes no responsibility for the use of plugs,standpipes, valves, etc.

Basement flooding can occur in some areas dueto excessive rainfall, saturated ground conditions,and obstructions in sewer lines.

One source of basement flooding can be fromstructural causes such as cracks in basement wallsand floors coupled with saturated soils.

Another source of flooding can be from backup ofsewage from municipal wastewater collection sys-tems. This may be from illegal material being put inthe line, such as grease, diapers, etc.

The City of Marion maintains separate storm andsanitary systems. Water from inside your homemust empty into the sanitary line while water fromfoundation drains, sump pumps and downspoutsmust empty into the storm system.

Problems may also arise when ground waterseeps into cracked or broken customer service or citymain (storm or sanitary) tile and fills the sanitarysewer lines to levels that exceed their capacity.

When the carrying capacity of the pipe is ex-ceeded, the sewage and storm water tend to back upinto customer service lines and through floor drainsinto basements.

1. Immediately stop all water use in the house-hold when backup conditions are imminentor are occurring I

2. Call the Marion City Water Pollution ControlDepartment at 383-6051. After working hours,leave a voice message with your name, ad-dress, phone number and problem and some-one will return your call. There may be block-ages, pump malfunctions or other problems thatcan be corrected without much delay.

Lona TermPreventive measures are necessary if base-

ment backups from the collection system are likelyto occur. The following are suggested preventivemeasures.

CleanupIf a backup of sewage does occur, the

following steps should be taken to clean up thearea:

PreventionBasement flooding from cracks and openings in

basement walls can be prevented only if the wallsand floor are in good condition. Footer drains andsump pumps are desirable in preventing floodingfrom this source. This type of flooding is beyond thescope of this discussion.

Preventing backups from the sewage collectionsystem can be categorized as short term and longterm measures.

1. First, turn off the electricity and removethe remaining standing water. Materialswhich have been water soaked should beremoved from the basement. Such itemscould include bedding, rugs, upholsteredfurniture, boxes, carpeting and paddingand papers.

2. With electricity turned off, electricaloutlets should be opened and drained andallowed to dry. Duct work should also bedrained and allowed to dry.

3. Walls and hard-surfaced floors should becleaned with soap and water and disin-fected with a solution of 1/2 cup of bleachto one gallon of water. DO NOT MIXBLEACH AND SOAP. When usingbleach, make sure the area is well-ventilated. Thoroughly disinfect any foodservice areas or areas where childrenplay.