Hello Susan – we are on the North side of Cooke at the bottom of the Adena Brook ravine.  We woke Thursday morning with 6 inches in our finished basement.  Who in the CITY should we contact ?
Laura Young Mohr responds:
All roads now lead to 311 (or 645-3111) to report city service issues or via that website off the main city page.  Also, in the case of a basement backup residents can also call Sewer Maintenance directly at 645-7102 and it’s 24/7 – in case they can’t get through on 311. 
It may be helpful to clarify a few things to your neighbor(s) for their understanding:
  • If a result of water/sewage backing up the basement drain they may qualify for the Project Dry Basement backflow valve program; however reporting it as it is occuring is critical to qualify so a crew can verify the main sewer is related to the problem (after the water recedes they cannot tell)
  • If a result of water coming in the wall or windows, that’s a private property responsibility to correct through foundation drains, sump pumps, gutters, downspouts, grading etc. – contact a plumbing company for recommendations
  • If an areawide problem you and your neighbors think should be looked at from an additional capital improvement standpoint, please complete the following questionnaire and submit for consideration: http://utilities.columbus.gov/DOSD/wet-quest.htm
  • It’s important to keep in mind that our recent storm levels were around the 100-200 year frequency levels meaning they are quite unusual and storm sewers are not usually built to handle such volume because they would be quite expensive and it would have a major stormwater rate impact.
I hope that helps.

Laura Young Mohr 
Public Relations Specialist 
Department of Public Utilities, Communications Office 
City of Columbus 
910 Dublin Rd., Columbus, OH 43215 
(614) 645-2123, fax 724-0144