Flooding
In order to help identify and correct issues with property-side sewer inflow and infiltration issues the City has created a Residential Sewer Program. If your property has been impacted by flooding, we encourage you to learn more about the program and how you can participate.
Report a Flood
If at any time your property experiences a flooding event–basement, yard, or street– please submit a Flood Report. By providing adequate information in your report, the City can better understand types of floods and popular causes of basement flooding. Your information will be stored in a database for future flood-related communications from the City, which you can opt-out of at any time.
Submit a Flood Report
Sanitary Sewer Inspection and Remediation Program
The City has launched the Sanitary Sewer Inspection and Remediation Program as a result of the flooding events many Bexley residents experienced in 2020. This program is designed to assist with identifying on-premises sewer issues that contribute to basement flooding, provide up to $2,000 in grant funding to assist with repairs to on-premises sewer issues, and provide a loan program to assist with costs above and beyond the $2,000 grant program.
Residential Sewer Remediation Program Eligibility:
Property owners shall be eligible to be considered for the program if they:
- Experienced a Water in Basement ("WIB") event at an owner-occupied residential property on or after March 1, 2020,
- Completed the City's Flooding and Backup Questionnaire (also available at the bottom of this page)
- Consent to the terms of the Inspection and Remediation Program, which shall include, but may not be limited to, the following:
- Consent to an initial inspection of sewer infrastructure on their property;
- Agreement to remedy any property side issues discovered in the initial inspection and/or any subsequent inspection within ten years;
- The initial round of applicants to the Bexley Sanitary Sewer Inspection and Remediation Program will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis, based upon the availability of funds. Property owners who apply for the program and whose completed applications are received after the initial round of funding has been allocated will be placed on a wait list, subject to the availability of future funding.
Initial Inspection:
- The Service Director and/or their designee shall review the application to preliminarily determine whether or not a WIB event was suspected to be due to a sanitary sewer system and or 1/1 related issue, and shall arrange for a City paid inspection of the property to assess the condition and connection of sanitary sewer laterals, downspouts, and foundation drains.
The inspection report will identify the issues that are contributing to WIB events and give remediation recommendations needed to be performed by:
- The Property Owner: To be completed within 10 years, with one post-remediation inspection paid for by the City. Post remediations inspections performed for future remediations will be the responsibility of the property owner.
- The City: To be completed within 1 year, if feasible.
City Assistance for Property Side Issues:
Items identified by the report to be completed by the Property Owner will be:
- Eligible for consideration of up to $2,000 in remediation reimbursement.
- Eligible for consideration to participate in a City-funded loan program to pay for the remediation, repayable via a special assessment.
- In order to be eligible for City assistance, property owners must agree to remediate all property side issues discovered during the initial inspection.
- The City’s maximum remediation reimbursement shall be the lesser of: $2,000, or 80% of the total cost of remediation.
Property Owner Acknowledgement:
Prior to the remediation repairs, eligible residents/property owners must certify and consent to the following:
- Acknowledgment that water in basement events are often the result of a variety of factors and that backflow preventers will not mitigate other underlying factors, including hydrostatic pressure, surface flooding, and foundation flooding.
- Certify that any future foundation drains and downspouts will not be connected to the sanitary sewer system and that the sanitary sewer lateral will be maintained in adequate condition to prohibit inflow and infiltration and consent to inspection as deemed necessary by the Director.
- In the instance of a backflow prevention device being installed, acknowledgement that it is the property owner’s responsibility to
- Maintain the backflow prevention device.
- Acknowledge that occupants of the property should not use drains and water-based appliances, including toilets, showers, sinks, bathtubs, dishwashers, and washing machines, in the home while the backflow prevention device is activated.
- Any other information, acknowledgement, or consent deemed necessary by the Director.
Waiver of Competitive Bidding Requirements:
City Council determines that, in accordance with Section 59 of the Charter, it is in the best interests of the City to waive formal bidding requirements. In lieu of formal bidding requirements, the Director shall seek competitive pricing from three or more contractors for an agreed-upon fixed price for any associated projects in excess of $50,000.
Program Availability:
Program availability will be subject to funding and inspection and contractor scheduling availability.
Sanitary Sewer Inspection
& Remediation Program Registration
The City has launchd the Sanitary Sewer Inspection and Remediation Program as a result of the two major flooding events in Bexley last spring. To register for an initial inspection, please click the button below.
Register Today
Sewer Remediation Program FAQ
Updated March 8, 2021
Work done since the flooding is eligible for a grant to reimburse, but an inspection will be required to ensure that all underlying issues have been addressed. The signup form is available on this page.
The initial program is designed for the first 100 homes. If demand exceeds the 100 home pilot, City Council and the administration will look at expanding the program to additional households, with a likely scenario involving a budget for a defined number of households per year.
Any owner-occupied residential property that has experienced flooding and/or sewer backups after March 1, 2020 is eligible.
Yes! Qualification is not tied to ownership.
We will inspect the current drainage systems including sanitary sewer, roof drainage, basement perimeter drains, sump pumps (if installed) and yard grading and drainage to make sure these are in proper condition and connected to the appropriate discharge points.
You will be provided with a list of approved inspectors, and will be responsible for scheduling and facilitating the inspection.
We have communicated with the City of Columbus to determine the extent to which localized Bexley flooding was due to regional, systemic flooding. Columbus is making substantial upgrades to their sewer system which will improve capacity.
Additionally, Columbus is currently involved in a program to improve one of the primary sanitary lines that Bexley connects to. However, none of the upgrades are designed to handle a 25 year flood.
Repairing issues at a property, such as replacing broken sewer laterals, properly routing downspouts and drains, etc, should not negatively impact adjacent properties. However, a backflow prevention device could, in theory, impact nearby properties, depending on the elevation of adjacent properties and the underlying issues at those properties.
Due to the variety of property-side issues that can exacerbate flooding, property owners are best equipped to work with contractors and determine how to make needed repairs, and the City-provided inspection report will assist you in focusing the contractor on the work that should be done.
Signing up does not obligate a property owner to complete the work. However, knowledge of underlying property issues will require appropriate disclosure to future buyers, and the City may need to require the remediation of any identified issues that are not compliant with code.
The Ohio-required Residential Property Disclosure does require sellers to disclose any known “material problems” with the sewer system.
Yes. The Residential Sewer Remediation Loan Program will provide up to $15,000 of funding, assessed over a ten year period.
The City has created a list of registered contractors who have the necessary knowledge and experience to conduct any of the possible sewer repairs. The post-remediation inspection will need to be performed by a company other than the one that provide
Any completed work would need to pass a post-work inspection, and be completed to code. If able to complete the project to code, then the homeowner may perform the work.
Rental or investment properties are not eligible for this program.
Help! My basement flooded!
TAKE NOTE OF DAMAGED GOODS AND MATERIALS
Whether you take photos and videos or write down what has been damaged in the flood, this information will be helpful when filing a claim with your insurance company.
FILE AN INSURANCE CLAIM
It's best to start this process as soon as you can. The information you collected from the point above will be helpful for your insurance company to know!
PROTECT YOURSELF AND THOSE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD
When taking care of flood water, always remember to be cautious of sharp or hidden objects. Wear protective clothing and gloves before you start cleaning up.
WAIT FOR YOUR BASEMENT TO DRAIN
Before you begin pumping water out of your basement, wait until your basement starts draining on its own. You may create more work for yourself if you act too quickly.
REPORT THE FLOOD WITH THE CITY
If at any time your property experiences a flooding event, please fill out the Flooding & Backup Questionnaire report at the top of this page. The information you provide helps us understand types and causes of basement flooding and provides consideration for capital improvement projects. If you have difficulty accessing the form, please click here.
PROPERLY DISPOSE OF FLOOD DAMAGED ITEMS
Please contact Rumpke at least 48 hours before weekly collection to request bulk pick-up for acceptable large items, and/or excessive amounts of trash. Television sets cannot exceed 32 inches for curbside pick-up, and mattress or upholstered furniture must be completely sealed in disposable plastic for removal. Additionally, Household Hazardous Waste can be disposed of through SWACO.