By Cindi Andrews
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The weekend's soaking rains infiltrated Hamilton County homes faster than the Metropolitan Sewer District could mop up the damage.

District officials Monday reported 490 sewage-flooding complaints logged since Friday, but just 35 homes cleaned.

"This process is going to go on for a few days," said Bob Campbell, the district's deputy director. "The number of complaint calls received is substantially higher than what we thought we would get."

Three days of rain added up to the sewer district's first test of its new customer service program, which began Jan. 1. Its aim is to provide cleanup help and, eventually, permanent fixes for more than 1,000 families countywide who live in homes prone to sewage flooding.

The backups primarily occur when heavy rains get into sewer pipes, filling them so full that the mixture of sewage and stormwater comes up through drains and toilets in low-lying basements.

The new response process worked well for Mike Otten of Westwood, who called the sewer district Saturday to report 6 to 8 inches of storm water and sewage in his basement. "They got here quick and took care of the problem," he said.

The sewer district's crew arrived about two hours after Otten's call, he said, and the cleanup crew about three hours after that.

The sewer district had received 350 calls by 8 a.m. Monday, 41 percent of which crews responded to, Campbell said.

The breakdown of the calls:

• In 35 cases, crews determined that pipe "overloading" was to blame. Damaged areas in those homes have been cleaned at an average cost of $2,600 per home, Campbell said.

• In 110 more cases, crews determined that the backup was in the lateral pipe. Laterals connect individual homes to the main sewer pipes, and their upkeep is property owners' responsibility.

• 50 calls were not related to basement backups.

• The remaining 155 complaints are being investigated.

What to do

To be reimbursed for damage caused by sewage backups, owners should:

 Call the Metropolitan Sewer District within 24 hours - ideally as soon as flooding begins. The number is 352-4900.

 Take photos of the flooding.

 File a claim form, available at www.msdgc.org/wib/.

 Take steps the district recommends to prevent future damage.

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E-mail candrews@enquirer.com