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wpc
home --- treatment
facility --- biosolids --- collection
systems
--- maintenance
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Backwatater
Valves
Floods
can be devastating, destructive, and expensive. As many Auburn residents
know, major storms can cause overland flooding and sewage backups into
homes or businesses throughout the city. Overland flooding cannot always
be prevented, however, sewage backups can if your home or business is
properly equipped with a backwater valve.
The
Problem
In
some areas basement level plumbing fixtures may be set at a lower
elevation than the crown, or top, of the sewer in the street. In those
cases, a sewage or drainage backup can occur, particularly under extreme
wet weather events when storm water infiltrates the sewer from a downspout
or yard-drain connection and creates high flow conditions. If a plumbing
fixture in the basement lies above the crown of the sewer in the street,
the risk of a backup is lessened, but still exists.
How
a Backwater Valve Can Help
While
overland flooding cannot always be prevented, a backwater valve can
prevent or significantly reduce sewage backups into homes and businesses
in low-lying areas. A backwater valve is a fixture put on a sewer line,
and sometimes a drain line, in the basement of your home or building
foundation to prevent sewer backflows. A properly installed backwater
valve works on a one-way system; sewage can go out, but not back in.
Property owners are responsible for the installation and maintenance of
backwater valves. The cost to install a backwater valve varies depending
on the configuration of the internal plumbing in a building and the
difficulty of the installation. The one-time investment may save your
personal property from devastation, eliminate any unnecessary damage costs
(which can reach the thousands in dollar amounts) and give you peace of
mind about the security of your sewer system. For more information about
backwater valves, AWPC recommends that you contact a licensed plumber. |
