Phila. proposes a way to prevent sewer backups

During big storms that cause sewer backups, desperate Philadelphia homeowners have reached for mop handles, baseball bats, rags -

anything

- to plug drains and prevent wastewater from flooding their homes.

Now the city is offering to pay for what it hopes is a more effective fix.

Starting this week, the Philadelphia Water Department is taking orders to install "backwater valves" in flood-prone homes in three areas: South Philadelphia; Northern Liberties and the adjacent community of Old Kensington; and Washington Square West.

Joanne Dahme, the department's watershed programs manager, said these neighborhoods have been hardest hit with flooding from sewage that comes up through plumbing fixtures like floor drains and utility sinks.

The Water Department has a hotline - 215-685-6300 - for people seeking to enroll in the program.

To qualify, an applicant must:

Be a property owner of record.

Live within the affected neighborhoods.

Be up-to-date on water and sewer payments.

Sign an agreement that once the work is completed, the homeowner will be responsible for maintaining the devices.

"The city is not coming back and taking care of these," Dahme said.

As many as 1,000 to 5,000 houses across the city may be vulnerable to sewer backups, Dahme said. First noticed in 2004, the problem has persisted as the region gets hit with a greater number of high-intensity storms. Community leaders warn of the health risks that could result from raw sewage and runoff going into people's homes.

The Water Department is spending $3 million for the valves, which act like gates, automatically closing when water starts flowing the wrong way into homes.

Dahme said the backflow valves are just a near-term solution. She said the department is also investing triple the money over the next six years on capital improvements, such as replacing or augmenting sewer lines.

Of the sewer backups into basements, she said, "We recognize that it potentially is a public health issue. That's why we want to get this program going."

Some homeowners, however, are skeptical. The concern is that while the valves may prevent sewage from backing up into their homes, they may cause other problems.

What, for instance, will happen to rainwater coming through downspouts? If the main lateral leading from a house to a sewer is shut, where will the rainwater go?

Dahme said plumbers working for the city may have to disconnect a downspout from feeding into the main lateral that connects a house to the sewer line.

She added that not all homes will require large backwater valves in their main laterals. Some may require smaller valves for plumbing fixtures like toilets, sinks or drains - openings where sewage has the potential to escape.

Judith Applebaum, president of the Washington Square West Civic Association, said she was glad the department was finally taking action.

"It took a long time to get them to understand there really was a problem here," Applebaum said.

Applebaum, who lives near 12th and Pine Streets, said she was approached this year by the Water Department to participate in a pilot project, but she declined.

Applebaum said she heard too many conflicting opinions on whether the valves would solve the problem - or create more. And she was worried about what would happen if she installed a backflow valve and her neighbors didn't. Would it exacerbate flooding for them?

"What liability would we have?" Applebaum said.