Owner`s manual

Flooded Private Sewage Systems
SAFETY, SANITATION AND CLEAN-UP CONCERNS
Flooding of a private sewage
system can be a hazardous
situation for homeowners. It may
lead to a back-up of sewage in
the home, contaminated drinking
water and lack of sanitation until
the system is fixed. While you
don't have control over rainfall
or flooding in your area, you can
prepare for high water problems
and respond appropriately to
emergency flooding.
HOW PROBLEMS OCCUR
When flooding or saturated soil conditions persist, a private sewage system
cannot function properly.
Soil treatment systems for wastewater rely on aerobic (with oxygen)
regions to reduce the amounts of chemicals and living organisms (viruses,
bacteria and protozoa). When the soil is saturated or flooded, those
hazardous materials can enter the groundwater and your drinking water
supply.
PREPARING FOR FLOODING
If you are prepared when flooding occurs, your family can be safe and
your system should survive. To prepare for a flood you should:
♦ Make sure all septic tanks are full of liquid. The high-water season is
not the time to have tanks pumped; empty tanks are buoyant and may
“pop” out of the ground during flooding.
♦ Plug floor drains, if necessary, to keep sewage from backing up into
the basement. Floodwaters may still enter the basement through
cracks and seams, however.
DURING A FLOOD
♦ Discontinue use of your private sewage system. Use portable toilets, if
possible, or use any large container with a tight-fitting lid for a
temporary toilet. Line the container with a plastic bag. After each use,
add chlorine bleach or disinfectant to stop odor and kill germs. If
necessary, bury wastes on high ground far away from your well.
♦ Remember that a well may become contaminated during a flood.
Therefore, DO NOT DRINK THE WATER. Drink bottled water, or
disinfect water before drinking. Contact your local health department
for disinfection instructions.
♦ Do not bathe or swim in floodwater. It may contain harmful
organisms.
♦ Shut off power to a sewage lift pump if you have one in the house or
in a pump chamber (mound, in-ground pressure, at-grade systems).
University of Wisconsin-Extension • Cooperative Extension FLOOD-SANITATION
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