Memorial Day is a holiday most everyone in the North East looks forward to after a long, snowy winter. Traditionally it is the start of the summer season, with cookouts and the opening of summer camps the plan of the day. Those in the restoration business know that any holiday family gathering or important event always is a prime time for emergencies.

When my family's '95 Memorial Day cookout started in earnest just like clock-work, a distraught call came from the Windsor Vermont Town Manager. The problem was a sewage backflow at the town's water treatment facility. The panic in his voice, along with two preliminary questions, warned me that this was not going to be one of your average sewage problems. The steaks on the grill were put on hold and our technicians were notified.

When we arrived, nothing could have prepared us for what we found. Two floors of a three-story building were flooded with sewage and it was 18 feet deep! We encountered most every problem you might imagine plus a few more. For instance, the building housed all of the main pumps used to switch effluent from large storage and processing tanks. Furthermore, we had no idea where the rupture originated.

Some quick calculations indicated that we were contending with at least 100,000 gallons of sewage, or "second stage effluent" to be more precise.

Because we suspected there might be some oil mixed with the sewage, the hazmat coordinator for Southern Vermont was called. The Connecticuit River was within two hundred yards of the plant and its contamination was one of our major concerns. The sewage treatment facility was inoperable. Not knowing what else to do, the plant engineer brought in a state engineer from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

At this point, quite a varied group had assembled at the plant. All were asking questions and wanted answers immediately with questions regarding procedures and time estimates for completion. I told the participants that my main concern was the safety of our employees and the health of the building occupants. Time estimates on drying the structure and returning it to a habitable state were provided, and we promised that we would do everything in our power to return the building to a useable state as quickly as possible.

Our company has employees who are trained in unsanitary water restoration procedures and who maintain the immunizations necessary to protect them from the hazards of water damage remediation Only these employees, properly outfitted with personal protection devices, would be permitted to perform the restoration processes. Gas detectors that emit an audible warning were placed in the work area to monitor the air for toxic gases. For procedures we referred to the IICRC's "Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration, S500-94." All interested parties, the insurance adjuster included entered into the discussion of the procedures outlined in S500. No one could improve upon the procedures outlined, thus, S500 became our plan of action. Although many decisions were based on our experience and best judgment, the IICRC standard served as our roadmap for procedural direction.

The structure was already evacuated so our first step was to consider what equipment we needed to accomplish the task at hand. the building is three stories high, with two of the stories below grade.

We contacted several sources before finding equipment that was capable of pumping the effluent 30 feet from the lowest level of the building, and all additional 150 feet back into a 250,000-gallon containment site at the facility. In fact. It was through networking with another New England Institute of Restoration and Cleaning (NEIRC) and ASCR member Bob Lebel, that we acquired the pump and additional personnel needed to expedite the remediation processes. In all, we needed two high-volume, two-inch pumps (one with a three-inch discharge) to remove the effluent faster than it was coming in. Several problems complicated our task. First, we did not know how fast the effluent was coming into the building or what had ruptured. Second, the equipment used to pump the effluent was now covered with contaminants.

Within hours, we had lowered the sewage level enough to see the problem An eight-inch steel plate had dislodged due to a broken stud (a 50-cent item). The effluent poured in until reaching equilibrium with a 250,000 gallon processing tank. In other words, the sewage level in the tank outside the building equaled the level inside the building.

Facility down time was a major concern. Initial decontamination was performed once we had the effluent pumped out. Oil absorbent materials were used to contain the small quantity of oil that floated on the effluent, Later, petroleum sorbents were used to remove the oil residue that clung on the ceiling. Apparently, the effluent rose to the second story, the oil stuck to the ceiling remained there. The oil-contaminated material was packaged in DOT-rated drums and removed from the site by a hazmat handler.

An inspection that followed turned up several problems, First, the ventilation system, which was insulated on the exterior, had been totally submerged in the effluent, We asked the building engineers to contact the company that installed the system, and we had them remove and later replace it.

The second problem was an enclosed concrete stairwell. We suspected that the enclosed area under the stairs was contaminated and decided to open a concrete block wall for inspection. Our inspection revealed that the effluent had permeated several cracks and had filled the void under the stairs. Further examination revealed that the original builders had used the concealed space for a dumping area and the construction debris was closed in when the block wall was erected. This material was removed in 5-gallon pails.

An electrical contractor disassembled the huge motors on the pumps and grinders, and sent them out for drying and electrical safety checks. All service to the two lower floors was shut down. Electricians wired our large desiccant dehumidifiers directly to the panel box and we piped fresh dry air into the lower levels of the building. We also used portable ventilator blowers to increase the quantity of fresh air available.

After pressure washing all structural materials and contents, we performed a second decontamination. The electricians opened outlets and conduit tubing for disinfecting. Each conduit was pressurized with cleaning solution and dried with compressed air. Suspended florescent light fixtures were replaced with new fixtures, as were numerous pressure sensitive gauges and Switches. The cost to clean and test these items, along with the added down time, justified replacement.

Hundreds of feet of pipe and pumping equipment were pressurized and hand cleaned. Each area was inspected for thoroughness of cleaning. We were fortunate that the concrete floor and ceiling had been coated with a high-gloss, non-porous enamel finish that responded well to cleaning.

On Friday afternoon, four days after the damage was discovered, the plant was able to operate. Fourteen additional days were required to completely dry and clean the building.

An increasing number of municipalities rely on professionals trained in the art of restoration to help them in their hour of need, The successful conclusion to this project in such a short time was due to the rapid agreement by all parties on the procedures required. IICRC S500 allowed everyone to agree on the basic procedures required to quickly and effectively return the plant to operation.

My wife Janice and I are making Plans for our next family gathering. I'll let you know how that job goes!

Author: Bernazzani, D.
Date/Pages: Nov 1995, 12

Click here to view full article (Adobe Acrobat PDF Format)

Article provided by the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration (ASCR).