Sanitary sewer service for the City of Mentor is provided by the Lake County Department of Utilities. If you experience a sewer backup, please follow these steps:
- Close as many drains as possible to reduce damage
- Don’t pour any liquids down the drain
- Call the Lake County Department of Utilities first to report the issue. Their 24/7 emergency phone number is 440-350-3431. They will review the situation and recommend further action.
- If damaged has been sustained, call your insurance company.
In 2019, 82% of all wastewater backups reported to the LCDU were blockages within customer private laterals. Private laterals are the section of drainage network that exists between your home and the public sewer main and is the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain.
Many of these backups can be minimized and prevented by taking simple steps with meal clean-up.
The easiest and most important thing you can do is avoid putting fats, oils and grease (commonly known as FOG) down the kitchen drain or garbage disposal. These substances may initially be warm or in liquid form, but they quickly harden once mixed with cold water and the winter temperatures of outdoor pipes. The hardened FOG restricts, and eventually blocks pipes, causing unwanted clogs in the sanitary sewer system. It is recommended instead that allow FOG to cool and harden and then place it directly in the trash.
Avoid flushing certain items that always make their way into the toilet including wipes, diapers, toys, facial tissues, paper towels, and feminine products. These items do not break down in water and may get lodged in pipes, causing immediate backups throughout the sanitary sewer system also including your private lateral.
Avoiding these practices will minimize potential problems and help avoid expensive and unpleasant repairs and cleanup.
For additional information, visit the Lake County Utilities Sanitary Sewer page.