Drainage & Flooding Issues
The Boardman Township Road Department strives to help the
residents of this community in alleviating re-occurring drainage and/or
flooding problems on private property, and is always willing to help
homeowners by providing counsel and guidance or steering citizens in the right
direction when the Road Department is unable to solve an immediate problem at
hand. The first step is to try and determine the exact source and nature
of the problem, and subsequent steps will be the result of where the water
problem is actually located.
Is the problem in the home or basement, OR in the yard?
IF THE PROBLEM IS IN
THE HOME OR BASEMENT:
If the problem is in the home or basement,
try to determine what the source of the water is: does the water have a color
or odor? Or, is it clear and odorless?
1. When the water has an odor or appears to be gray, this may
indicate a sanitary sewer problem. In this case:
Check to ensure that the
flapper valve in the center of the basement in the sanitary line is in working
order
Check the sanitary back-flow
valve to insure proper operation, if installed (a wise choice for protecting a
home and basement from sanitary sewer back-up)
Call the Mahoning County
Sanitary Engineer Department to find out if they are experiencing any sanitary
sewer troubles in the specific area, and ask for a routine check of the
sanitary lines to insure that there is no blockage. In many cases, a private
drain service company may be needed to check for blockages in the lines from
the home to the main sanitary line; this is the responsibility of all
homeowners.
2. When water is clear and odorless, this may indicate the
possibility of the failure of footer and/or downspout lines. In some cases,
age plays a part in such failure. Over time, footer and/or downspout lines
become clogged with dirt or debris, and can cause back-ups to occur in the
basements of many homes. In older homes, downspouts that are tied into footer
or sanitary lines may cause clear water to back-up into basements.
A private drain service
company may be needed to clear any clogs or blockages that exist in the lines.
3. When the water is clear and odorless, always take the time
to check the operation of the sump pump to make sure it is working and to
insure proper water flow out of the home, and not back into the basement (if
installed, another wise choice for protecting a home and basement)
4. In all other cases when a homeowner has taken all the steps
possible to ensure that a problem is not on private property:
Call the Boardman Township
Road Department to verify if the problem is in fact related to the functioning
of the storm system on the street. If the problem is within the street, the
Road Department may have to clear the storm lines to alleviate any blockages
that might be located.
IF THE PROBLEM IS IN
THE YARD:
The following are possible scenarios and
brief explanations which may assist when determining what the next steps
should be:
1. Is the source of the water due to low elevation (low spots)
in the back or front yards?
Low Elevation: this may
require the help of a private contractor to determine where the low spots
exist and the best method to fill-in those areas. The best way to get proper
drainage from those areas would be to pipe to an efficient system such as a
street, storm line or other acceptable system. In such cases, the Boardman
Road Department is always available for any line tie-ins that a contractor
believes are necessary.
2. Are the downspouts not properly tied into a storm water
system, or are they potentially blocked by debris and resulting in water
flowing onto private property, yards or driveways?
Downspouts: if downspouts
are blocked, a private drain service company may be needed to clean the lines
in order to ensure proper flow. If the downspouts are not piped into a system,
a private contractor would be needed to properly tie the downspouts into a
storm water system. Again, the Boardman Road Department is always available
for any line tie-ins that a contractor believes are necessary.
3. Is water flowing from an adjacent neighbor’s yard overland
because of landscaping that negatively impacts proper water flow, or
downspouts that are not tied-in properly?
Neighboring Water: these
scenarios may require the need for civil/legal action in a court of law
involving private property owners. Another possible solution could come in the
form of creative landscaping by homeowners, such as diverting the flow of
water through a swale cut between neighboring properties to allow water to
flow to the street or the nearest storm system. Again, the Boardman Road
Department is always willing to advise and will mediate to the extent law
allows.
4. Is water resulting in back-yard ponding?
Ponding: solutions that
might be used for relief in back-yard ponding are:
French Drains may be installed throughout the yard and piped to the
drainage system at the street or into the existing storm
system.
Dry-Wells may be used if no system is available to the
homeowner (in other words, dry-wells would be used in lieu of French drains).
Further information on rules
and regulations for both French drains and drywells can be obtained through
the Mahoning County Board of Health.
5. Is there general blockage in storm lines causing water to
back-up from the street or, in rare instances, from those storm lines that run
through backyards that may experience a back-up?
Blockage: a possible
blockage in the storm line where it appears that a catch basin (or basins) is
holding or not taking-in water would require a call to the Road Department.
The Road Department then dispatches the Vactor Sewer-jet Truck to clean the
basin(s) and jet the existing lines to alleviate the problem.
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
Boardman Township Road Department: (330) 726-4190
Mahoning County Sanitary Engineers: (330) 793-5514
Mahoning County Highway Engineers: (330) 799-1581
Mahoning County Board of Health: (330) 270-2855
Yellow Pages for Private Contractors including
General Contractor, Landscape and Drainage Contractors
