Sewer and Storm Water Flooding in Palm Beach County
Water Flooding in Palm Beach County
With the arrival of the 2014 hurricane season Palm Beach County residents will again be facing potential property damage from flooding caused by storm water and sewer system malfunctions. The following information is offered to help Palm Beach County property owners and residents understand why incidents of flooding happen, how they can be prevented, and what steps citizens should take if a wet weather incident of flooding affects their property.
Two different sewer systems serve Palm Beach County. The first system is designed to transport household waste from area homes. This system is called the public sanitary sewer system and is operated and maintained by Palm Beach County. The second public sewer system is the storm sewer system and is designed to transport storm or rain water to area streams and rivers. The storm water runoff is collected at inlets from streets, catch basins, area drains, and also from individual residential and commercial properties. These pipes vary in size from eight inches to over sixty inches in diameter. The storm water will eventually discharge to the local waterways and, like the treated wastewater, ultimately drains to the Atlantic ocean. The operation and maintenance of the public storm sewer system, within the public right of way, is the responsibility of the Palm Beach County.
Private property sewer and storm water systems
In addition to the public sewer systems, residents should be aware of small sewer pipes, generally four to six inches in diameter, on their property. These sewers are called service laterals, the lines between the building and main lines, and their purpose is to convey both storm water and domestic waste in separate pipes. Storm service laterals discharge to either storm sewers or ditches. Service laterals are the responsibility of the property owners. A certified plumber can inspect your laterals for proper water flow and complete any maintenance or repairs when deemed necessary.
For the homeowner, the first level of defense against water invasion into their homes is a backflow preventer. A waste backwater valve, or backflow preventer, was meant to provide protection by preventing wastewater from entering your family’s home. To guarantee the owner’s safety, a waste backwater valve needs to be self-activating, have the ability to seal around solids commonly found in wastewater and alert the owner of a wastewater backup or malfunction. A waste backwater valve must also allow for full venting of gases and normal flowing of wastewater. Different backflow preventers have been in public use for many years. Unfortunately they are not 100% reliable in the prevention of sewer and wastewater backup & flooding. Such is life.