Sewer Backup
What you can expect from us
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The Town Foreman will come to your home as soon as possible.
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After assessing the situation, Town Foreman will advise you on what actions you could take.
Sewer Snake Call Out Fees:
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There will be no charge on the first sewer clean out call caused by tree roots unless it can be shown that the plugged sewer was caused by the owner's negligence. Only applies if the cleaning service is performed during regular business hours.
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Sewer Snake service call out fees will be $75.00 (seventy-fifty dollars) during business hours (Monday to Friday from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm, excluding Statutory Holidays).
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Sewer Snake service call out fees will be $ 150.00 (one hundred fifty dollars) after business hours, during weekends and on Statutory Holidays.
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Sewer snaking is a service provided by the Town. No guarantee is made that the problem will be rectified by the service. The Town charges the call-out fees regardless of whether the blockage is on private or Town property.
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A property owner must sign a waiver form prior to have a sewer cleaning or unplugging by the town employee(s).
How you can help us
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Make sure someone over the age of 18 will be home to let Town Foreman staff into your house to assess the situation.
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If water or sewage is accumulating on the floor, stay out of the basement!
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If the water reaches an electrical outlet, extension cord or any electrical appliance, you are at risk of an electrical shock. It is NOT safe to enter your basement! Immediately contact your electricity provider.
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Do not use toilets and sinks unless absolutely necessary. Water sent down the drain will likely end up in your basement.
How can you help prevent a sewer line backup?
Don't pour grease or cooking oil down the drain. Instead scrape out or pour cooking oil and grease into a container or plastic bag and dispose of it in your kitchen garbage. Make sure to wipe any residue with a paper towel.
Do not dispose of large absorbent items like paper towels, diapers, baby wipes or feminine products down the toilet. These products should be disposed of in your garbage.
Kitchen garburators increase the amount of organic material in the service lines. Depending on the condition of the service line, organic material can stick to the lines and over time cause blockages. Compost your organic material instead.
Back Flow Prevention Devices
Back Flow prevention devices, or backwater valves, are used to prevent the sewer from backing up into your home or business. These valves are open normally, but close in the event of a backup to prevent sewage from coming into your property. Don't flush your toilets or send things into the sewer while these devices are closed as this sewage will have nowhere to go. Because of this, it best practice to have a backwater device that has an alarm or check it regularly during rain storms to ensure that it it not closed.
Granular Sewer Cleaner
Tree roots also cause sewer blockage if not treated regularly. Granular Sewer Cleaner attacks and kills tree roots and prevents further growth. This product only kills the roots inside the pipe and will NOT damage the tree. This chemical is specially formulated so that it begins to generate heat and agitation only when activated by water, allowing for safer application. This is a safe, encapsulated sewer solvent that penetrates deep into sewer lines to quickly break down tree roots. This should be used regularly every 6 months.
This product is available free of cost at the town office.