If you have a sewer backup and are unsure as to where the blockage is, do the following:

• Contact the city to inspect the sewer line before contacting a drain cleaning company to avoid unnecessary charges.
• A Utility Department employee will determine whether the problem is in the city's or your property's service line.
• The property owner is responsible for cleaning any blockage in the service line between the home and the city sanitary sewer main. This includes debris and tree roots.
• The property owner is also responsible for cleaning and repairing any damage done to the property by the sewer backup.
• Roots, grease, and improper disposal of items typically cause sanitary sewer line blockages.

The city is not automatically liable for blockages in the sanitary sewer system. The city is only responsible for those damages if the city's negligence caused the backup.

Most homeowner insurance policies exclude damages from sewer backups; however, many insurance companies provide insurance riders available for purchase to insure loss due to sewer backups. Homeowners should evaluate their own specific needs with their insurance agent.

Backup Prevention Tips

Grease

Liquid grease/oil should be poured into a heat-resistant container and disposed of in the garbage after it cools, not down the drain. Some people incorrectly assume washing grease down the drain with hot water is satisfactory. This grease goes down the drain, cools, and solidifies in the homeowner's service line or the sewer main. When repeated, the line will eventually clog.

Paper Products

Paper towels, disposable diapers, and feminine products cause many problems in the property owner's service and the city's main. These products do not deteriorate quickly, causing backups.

Flushable Products

Just because the package says "flushable" or "septic safe" doesn't mean it's true. There is no state or federal standard for flushability, and tests have shown that flushable wipes do not degrade readily like toilet paper. Many municipalities around the state are experiencing serious problems with flushable products within their sewer systems.

Roots

The continual flow of nutrient-filled water found in sewers attracts tree roots. Roots growing along pipes exert significant pressure. These roots can push into gasket joints and expand and break seals and the pipe. The conventional method for removing roots involves cutting or tearing roots to solve the immediate problem, but this method does not destroy the roots outside the pipes. This is similar to pruning the bushes and shrubs around your residence; it is a recurring maintenance issue.

Contact

If you need to report a Sewer or Water Utility Emergency:

Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Contact Public Works at (952) 227-1300

After hours or on weekends and holidays (24 hours): Call the emergency number at (952) 917-9345

Utilities Information Hotline: (952) 227-1317

Sewer cleaning can happen in any season. Sanitary sewer mains are cleaned using a high-performance combination jetter/vacuum vehicle (see picture at right). A cleaning nozzle is propelled from one maintenance hole to another using water under high pressure. The nozzle is then pulled back to the starting maintenance hole as the water scours the inside of the sewer pipe. Any debris in the pipe is pulled back with the water. The debris is removed from the maintenance hole with a powerful vacuum on the combination truck.

Air Venting

During cleaning of sanitary sewer lines, air occasionally vents into a home through the sanitary sewer service line and plumbing ventilation system. When this happens, water in the toilet bowl can bubble or surge or, in rare cases, splash out of the bowl.

Common Causes of Air Venting:

• Air movement from normal cleaning operations
• The use of high pressure is necessary when cleaning lines within a steep slope
• Sewer lines running close to the building
• Capped roof vent
• Size and complexity of the home’s waste and ventilation system

If you see a sewer cleaning machine on your street, ensure your toilet lids are down.

Floor and sink drains usually have water filling the bottom of the drain trap, which acts as a hydraulic barrier between the air in the sewer and the air in your home. The drain can become dry (especially in winter), and odors can enter your home. If you experience sewer odors, run water down your drain.

The property owner is responsible for any repairs on the service line from the home, including the connection at the property line. In most locations, the city is responsible for repairs within the public road right-of-way.

Metropolitan Council Regional Sewer Improvements Project

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) will rehabilitate aging and deteriorating regional sanitary sewers on the east side of the city near Highway 5. Work will include setting up temporary pipes that will eventually be buried under street and driveway crossings. Repairs will be done by installing a lining inside the existing sewer pipe and rehabilitating maintenance holes as needed. Some trees and brush will need to be removed, and some steep slopes graded to provide worker and equipment access to the sewer needing repair.

Worksite access will be along the northwest side of Rice Marsh Lake Park from approximately Erie Circle to the park's north end. Work will be done on approximately 2,500 feet of sewer along the north side of Highway 5 and from Highway 5 to Rice Marsh Lake Park, east of Cheyenne Avenue.

Work is scheduled to begin in December 2014, with tree removal starting the week of December 22 and be completed in spring 2015.

Visit the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services website for project updates.

Rehabilitation Area Site Map

Project Contacts:

• Tim O'Donnell, Project Citizen Liaison
• Michael Villari, Project Manager
• Dave Elzinga, Construction Contract Administrator

 

Sump pumps cannot be discharged directly or indirectly into the sanitary sewer system. Sump pumps also may not be discharged into any public right-of-way. All discharge piping shall be installed in accordance with Section 19-44 of the Chanhassen City Code. For more information, visit our Water Resources Drainage page.