Moreland Hills Wastewater Department FAQ's It was once observed that people do not think about sewers until the sewers back-up or until it is time to pay the sewer bill. Our Department works hard to keep you from needing to think about sewers. When you do have to think about them, please contact us. For your convenience, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions: What do I do if my sanitary sewer backs up? There are several possible causes of sewer back-ups. If there is only one drain or appurtenance with a problem, while all other items connected to the sanitary sewer throughout your house are draining well, the problem is very likely in the home plumbing. If, however, all drains and appurtenances throughout the house are draining poorly or not at all, then there is likely a problem with the sewer line. This often causes the lowest drain in the house, such as the basement under the utility sink, to back-up. If this happens, you should keep water usage to a minimum. In this unpleasant circumstance, there are still two possible causes. One is that the private sewer from your home out to the sewer main is blocked. This is the most common. The other is that the sewer main is blocked. If you do have a sewer back-up you may contact the Wastewater Department. Please see the contact information on our WebPage. We consider this an urgent matter and will respond accordingly. We will determine whether or not the sewer main is blocked. If it is blocked, we will work to restore it to normal service as soon as we possibly can. If it is not blocked, the problem is likely in your private sewer from your house to the sewer main. This problem is the responsibility of the home owner. How does the Village finance the Wastewater Plants and Sewers? For all residences that are connected to the sanitary sewer system, the Village collects an annual Sewer Maintenance charge of $500 and a Sewer Capital charge of $500. This is collected for the Village by Cuyahoga County as part of the property taxes. The money is held in two funds, the Sewer Maintenance Fund and the Sewer Capital Improvement Fund. These funds are separate from the General Fund. The Sewer Maintenance Fund finances all of the operation and maintenance activities of the Wastewater Department. The Sewer Capital Improvement Fund, as the name implies, is earmarked specifically for capital improvements required throughout the sanitary sewer collection system and the wastewater plants. What if I notice an unpleasant odor in my house or garage? Drains are designed with "traps" to hold water and prevent the odors in the sewer from coming up through them. An example of this can be seen under any sink. If there is an odor coming from a drain, the trap is not working. The most common reason for this is that the water in the trap has dried up. This is extremely common in drains that are hardly ever used, such as in a garage. In this case the remedy is to pour water down the drain. For most drains, a gallon is enough. If this does not correct the problem, it may be possible that the trap is cracked. This is an unusual circumstance, but it does occasionally happen. Then the drain would need to be dug up, if not exposed, and repaired. What do I do if my yard drains or ditches are backing up or flooding? Yard drains, ditches and downspouts are all part of the storm sewer system, which is entirely separate from the sanitary sewer system. Each resident is responsible to keep the storm drains, pipes and ditches on their property free of debris. Care should be taken when cutting grass, raking leaves and pruning trees and shrubbery to insure that all of this is disposed of properly. Such debris should be kept away from storm drains. If you experience a storm drain back-up, please call the Service Department at 440.248.1188. We will respond and assist you directly with the trouble or advise you how best to handle the situation.
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