Water Your Thoughts – A Partnership to Prevent Basement Flooding

The amount of personal loss as a result of flooding this year is hard for anyone to bear. The have caused the basements of some residents of Avon Lake to flood four times this year. Some floods are a result of rain and/or groundwater coming directly into basements or backing up from the storm system. Others are a result of stormwater entering the sanitary sewer and then backing up into basements. Either way, the intense storms have significantly affected residents.

As caretakers of the City's sanitary sewer system, we at are dedicated to providing a service to our customers--the residents of Avon Lake. We are actively maintaining the sanitary sewers to assure wastewater is taken from your home and treated prior to discharge in the lake. We have had the opportunity to meet directly with you three times this year to talk about the impacts from the intense storms. The most effective way to prevent you from having additional flooding in your basement is to work together.

We all have a role in preventing basement flooding. It is the role to properly manage stormwater. It is Avon Lake Municipal Utilities’ (ALMU’s) role to properly manage wastewater. It is the residents’ role to properly collect the wastewater and stormwater on their properties and direct it appropriately.

The vast majority of stormwater entering the sanitary sewer is from private property. To best protect themselves and neighbors, residents must assure stormwater from their properties do not enter the sanitary sewer. Not only can stormwater in the sanitary sewer cause basement flooding, it is against the law and subject to fines. Rather than immediately fine residents for violating regulations, ALMU works with residents to identify these illegal connections and remove them from the sanitary sewer. We want this partnership to be effective and we are doing so by helping residents do what is best for them and their neighbors and get the stormwater out of the sanitary sewer.

Some have suggested that ALMU needs to upsize the sanitary sewers and/or provide storage to accept all of the stormwater entering the sewer. We are the stewards of our customers’ (your) money and the entity charged with planning, constructing, operating, and maintaining the system ultimately owned by them (you). Upsizing and storage warrants further discussion. Though it is a solution to the problem, we do not think it is the best solution for the citizens of Avon Lake because it will take a long time to implement and it will cost each customer thousands of dollars. Rather, we believe it is best to assure stormwater goes where it should, instead of the sanitary sewer. We must act in partnership to do this. We pledge to you that we will do our part and ask for your commitment as well. No one wants to knowingly contribute water that causes a neighbor’s basement to flood. Please assure your downspouts, yard drains, driveway drains, and pumped foundation drains discharge preferably to the storm sewer and not to the sanitary sewer. Please also assure that your sanitary cleanout caps are securely in place, and see www.avonlakewater.org for more information. Together, we can virtually eliminate basement flooding.