Service requests: sewers

Installing a temporary sewage bypass on West Genesee St., Syracuse

WEP responds to more than 4000 trouble calls and service requests from homeowners and businesses that are having trouble with their sewers every year. WEP employees who are responsible for the sanitary sewer system operation and maintenance answer these calls.

They clean and maintain sewer lines (more than 3000 miles of piping!), handle sewer call troubleshooting and diagnosis, and manage more than one hundred pump and lift stations.

Frequently asked questions

Q: I'm having sewer trouble. Who do I call? When are they available?
A: Call (315) 435-3157, any time, day or night.

Q: Which communities does WEP serve?
A:

• WEP serves the sewered portions of Camillus, Cicero, Clay, Dewitt, Geddes, Lysander, Manlius, Onondaga, Pompey, and Salina. We also respond to calls in the villages of Camillus, East Syracuse, Fayetteville, Liverpool, Manlius and Solvay.
• Call your own public works department if you live in Baldwinsville (315) (635-9665), North Syracuse (315) (458-0790), or the City of Syracuse (315) (448-2489).
• If you live outside the WEP Sanitary District (see map here), contact your town or village directly.

Q: What will WEP do for me?
A: A representative of WEP will respond and investigate your complaint. If the problem is diagnosed as occurring in the public portion of the sewer system, our maintenance personnel will take immediate corrective action. If the trouble is in your private waste drain system, you will be referred to a plumber or drain cleaner for assistance.

The public portion of your sanitary sewer extends from the sewer line in the street to a point just inside your property line. In most instances a clean-out and fresh air inlet (trap), which pokes out of the lawn and has a mushroom shaped cap over the opening, is available for access by our personnel. Any blockage or defect on the private property side of that point is privately owned, and service or repair is the responsibility of the property owner.

Q: Do I need to be home?
A: You do not need to be home. Most times the diagnosis can be performed without access to the home or business. If the trouble is not urgent we will schedule a visit, at your convenience, when you can be present.

Q: What does it cost?
A: There is no direct cost to the property owner. Our services are performed under contract with the separate municipalities and billed annually to them.

A WEP maintenance crew works in a trench in E. Fayette St., Syracuse

Q: Who do I call if I'm not in one of the communities that WEP serves?
A: Contact the municipality directly. Most have a public works phone listing.

Q: When do I need a plumber or drain cleaner?
A: You may require the services of a plumber or drain cleaner if the trouble is in the interior house plumbing or in the service connection on the private property side of your clean-out and trap. Many plumbing and drain cleaning services are listed in the phone directory yellow pages. WEP does not recommend specific plumbing or drain cleaning vendors. Their charges for services may vary considerably from one to another. WEP will always respond first, and attempt to diagnose the location of the problem.

Q: What about my septic system problems?
A: WEP isn't responsible for septic system problems. If you are having septic system troubles, call Environmental Health Services at the Onondaga County Health Department at (315) 435-3165.

Q: What about problems with my water supply?
A: WEP advises residents outside the City of Syracuse to call the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) at (315) 455-7061. (After hours, weekends, emergency answering service 1-877-561-3043). City residents should call the Syracuse Water Department at (315) 473-2860 (24-hour emergency number).

Q: What about street drainage problems?
A: If you are having street drainage problems, including leaf or brush pickup, contact the municipality where you live for information. (Look in the blue pages of the phone book.)
 
Click here for more information about drainage and storm water.