Spring Showers & Your Sewer: Why Heavy Rain Can Lead to Backups
As the ground thaws and spring rains begin to arrive, many homeowners focus on umbrellas and sump pumps. However, there is another underground system that feels the pressure of a wet spring: your sewer line.
While our wastewater system is built to handle massive amounts of flow, extreme weather events can put it to the test. Here is a look at why the weather affects your pipes and what you can do to protect your home.
Why Does Rain Affect the Sewer?
It seems counterintuitive—after all, your toilets and drains aren’t connected to the storm drains on the street. However, two main factors come into play during a heavy spring downpour:
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Inflow and Infiltration: When the ground becomes saturated, rainwater can “seep” into sanitary sewer pipes through small cracks, manholes, or even illegal connections (like a neighbor’s sump pump or roof downspout tied into the sewer line).
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The Physics of Flow: Wastewater systems generally rely on gravity to move water toward the treatment plant. When a massive amount of rainwater enters the system all at once, the “downhill” path becomes crowded. If the system nears capacity, the water has nowhere to go, which can lead to backups in low-lying areas or homes near the treatment plant.
MAWSA: Built for Capacity
To protect our community, the PA DEP mandated that the MAWSA plant be built to handle up to 2.3 million gallons of wastewater per day. On a typical day, our community uses about 500,000 gallons.
This means we have significant “headroom” for growth and weather. However, during extreme “flash” storms or weeks of heavy, saturated spring rain, those flows can double or even triple, pushing the system to its limits while we work to keep everything operating within regulatory requirements.
How You Can Protect Your Home This Spring
While MAWSA works 24/7 to manage the public infrastructure, there are three high-impact steps homeowners can take to prevent a messy situation:
1. Practice Strategic Water Conservation
When you see a heavy downpour outside, try to delay high-volume water tasks like running the dishwasher or doing multiple loads of laundry. Reducing the amount of water leaving your house during the peak of a storm helps take the pressure off your home’s lateral line and the public main.
2. Maintain Your Sewer Lateral
The “lateral” is the pipe that connects your home’s plumbing to the public sewer main in the street. Over time, these pipes can settle, crack, or become infiltrated by tree roots seeking nutrients. An inspection can ensure your line is clear and capable of handling a surge.
3. Consider a Backflow Preventer
If you live in a low-lying area or have a finished basement, a backwater valve is one of the best investments you can make.
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Backwater Valve (Automatic): A flap that allows water to exit your home but closes automatically if it senses water flowing backward from the street.
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Gate Valve (Manual): A valve you can manually close during a flood emergency.
Help Us Help You
Storm situations can be incredibly localized—it might be pouring on one street and dry two miles away. Because of this, MAWSA may not know an individual homeowner is experiencing an issue unless it is reported.
If you ever experience a backup or notice unusual drainage during a storm, please call our service team immediately. Your report helps us identify potential blockages in the main lines and allows us to respond faster.
Backwater valve
