Heavy rain is predicted for the Cincinnati area beginning this evening, March 23, through Friday night, March 24. These weather conditions could potentially result in sewer overflows into local creeks and rivers and sewer backups into buildings.

If you experience a sewer backup in your home or business, here are five things you need to know:

1. You can report a sewer backup 24/7 to MSD.
   
   You can report a sewer backup 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone at (513) 352-4900 or online at msdgc.org/sbu. You must report your backup to MSD within 48 hours of discovery to be potentially eligible for reimbursement of damages.
2.  MSD investigates every report of a sewer backup to determine whether it’s eligible for assistance through our Sewer Backup (SBU) Program.
   
   After you report a sewer backup, an MSD customer service crew will come out to conduct a sewer backup investigation. Field crews are usually dispatched within four hours or less.
   
   Eligible: If the findings show the sewer backup was caused by the MSD public sewer, you may be eligible for a professional cleaning and damage claims.
   
   Not Eligible: You will not be eligible for assistance from MSD if the backup you experienced was caused solely by a private plumbing issue, overland flooding, or other jurisdictional issue. About 85% of the time, sewer backups are not caused by the MSD public sewer and are therefore not covered by the SBU Program
3. MSD provides professional cleaning services at no charge to eligible property owners and tenants.
   
   If your property is authorized for cleaning, an MSD customer service representative will contact you by phone to schedule an appointment with a professional cleaning services company.
4. MSD offers reimbursement for eligible damages from sewer backups caused by the MSD public sewer.
   
   If you intend to submit a claim to MSD for property damage, please thoroughly document damage to your property with photographs and inventory lists.
5.  When a sewer backup or water intrusion is caused by a private issue, the property owner is responsible for the cleanup and/or repairs.
   
   MSD strongly recommends hiring a licensed plumber to investigate the issue and a certified water/flood restoration company to take care of the cleanup. Visit our Prevention and Protection webpage for more information about preventing sewer backups from private sewers and protecting your property.

For more information about MSD’s Sewer Backup program, please visit msdgc.org/sbu.