Rowhouses along West North Avenue in Baltimore. Photo: Baltimore Heritage from Baltimore, MD, USA, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and the Department of Public Works on Oct. 28 expanded the city’s Sewage Onsite Support Cleanup Program so that it can cover qualifying basement sewage backups in dry weather, not only after heavy rain.
According to the official city announcement, the expansion applies when a dry-weather backup is traced to a blockage on the city-owned side of the sewer lateral. The program connects eligible homeowners and renters with contractors for professional cleaning and disinfection at no cost for qualifying backups. Public Works Director Matthew Garbark said the work also helps the department see where backups occur and what may be causing them. The expansion was developed with the Maryland Department of the Environment, the release said.
Residents should call 311 to report a basement backup. Public Works investigates the cause and decides whether the incident qualifies. The city’s Expedited Reimbursement Program remains available and can provide eligible residents with up to $5,000 per household for qualifying cleanup and disinfection costs, subject to program rules. The official release says a household may use one program or the other for the same backup, but not both.
City Councilman Paris Gray, whose 8th District includes parts of the city where backups have been a long-running complaint, said a backup does not wait for a storm and neither should the help. The mayor said the expansion is meant to give more families a place to turn after a backup.
