Overflow of ideas

Marie Varenas wants to put an end to her recurring nightmare, but she’s unsure how to do it. The visuals of water spewing into her rented property on the 2800 block of South Iseminger Street and its accompanying damages are etched in her memory. Soiled carpets were replaced twice last year after water rose from a toilet during heavy downpours, all of which subsequently flooded her basement. The cost? An estimated $2,200, according to her various contractors.

But this figure does not include the $150 Varenas had to fork over to rip out the carpet again after the basement received another deluge in June. She has spent an additional $1,000 for a new carpet, but refuses to install it until she receives some definitive answers.

"The city needs to tell me [another flooding incident] is not going to happen again before I install it," said Varenas, of the 2100 block of South 21st Street.

Her reoccurring nightmare is one Varenas shares with many others, all of whom have horror stories of their own.

Since their offices have been flooded with complaints, City Council members have initiated discussions with the city’s Water Department to develop precautions that might offset future deluges.

THOUGH MOST RESIDENTS have their own opinions, the Water Department maintains the floods last summer and June 6 can be attributed to exorbitant amounts of rainfall in a short period of time.

June 6, for example, 1.5 inches of rain fell in 20 minutes, which was the equivalent of a 20-year storm, claimed the department.

First District Councilman Frank DiCicco, Councilman-at-Large James Kenney and Christian DiCicco, a legislative aide at state Sen. Vince Fumo’s office, recently met with Water Department officials to collectively analyze the area’s rainfall data.

"You can correlate [the heavy rainfalls] with the complaints they received for flooded basements," said Kenney.

Preventative measures for the area also were discussed. The department will begin installing a new sewer system aimed at handling a greater capacity of water near the Snyder Avenue and Swanson Street area. Construction will begin next month, said Kenney.

"This will hopefully alleviate the problems that these residents have been experiencing for a decade," he said.

Kenney added a private engineering firm would assist Water Department engineers in investigations of what actions should be sought in other neighborhoods.

The cleaning of storm drains, which, when clogged, are considered by both councilmen as a contributing factor to basement flooding, also will be beefed up by the city.

"People use them as trashcans," said Kenney. "You see people often putting a soda bottle and trash down those inlets and the trash that lies in the street also winds up in these storm drains."

A short-lived street-sweeping program was nixed after residents complained of parking restrictions, but Kenney said it might have helped alleviate the problem.

The Water Department also is considering the installation of backwater valves in residences. This "flap" is placed between the lateral (which transports used water from a home) and the sewer and closes when the sewer fills with water, thus preventing potential backups.

"We are only considering this because we are still evaluating the system to determine what course of action we want to take," said Laura Copeland, Water Department spokesperson.

While Copeland said backwater valves need to be maintained quarterly at the homeowner’s expense, she could not provide additional information on the cost of installation or if they are readily available.

Installing a backflow system might be "an expense to a homeowner," said DiCicco, but added, "when you think of the aggravation when water backs up, the investment might not be such a bad idea."

To help cover the potential cost, the department is toying with the idea of offering low-interest loans to residents, he said.

Meanwhile, the department has maintained it will continue surveying sewers for any major problems, said DiCicco, who added the investigation of the city’s sewer system is an ongoing one.

"Will this make [the floods] go away?" DiCicco asked. "Probably not, but it might reduce the risk of backups."

Going against the Water Department’s suggestion, Varenas said she refuses to install tiles in her rented-out basement and is determined to have the city reimburse her for the damaged carpets. While she appreciates the city’s new efforts, she remains skeptical.

"Just because they are proposing this, is this going to stop [the floods]? Next summer, is it going to start again?," she asked.