Flood Prone Basements

Plugging Drains Located in Flood Prone Basements

City staff has been recommending that residents who have connections to the sewer system in flood prone areas of their basement look into plugging these connections with rubber plugs. Connections such as floor drains, toilets, and showers are directly connected to the city sewer system.  In flooded basements, there is potential for river water to move directly into the sewer system causing excessive flow to the sewer treatment plant.  In these situations, there is also potential for the sewer mains to become inundated with this river water resulting in flow backwards into basements. Rubber plugs which can be found on Amazon can be installed to prevent both the inflow and outflow from happening. 

If installed, the rubber plugs should be reinforced with a wooden stud that is braced against the ceiling to prevent the plug from being pushed out of the drain pipe. The plugs come in miscellaneous sizes and require air to pump them up.  If you would like technical assistance in determining the size or need for plugging drains please feel free to call the public works department at 651-275-4410 or email Public Works.

Keep an Eye on the River Forecast

This forecast changes daily based on a multitude of factors.  Moving personal property and installing drain plugs can obviously be a time consuming job. Therefore, give yourself time by keeping an eye on the projected river forecasts.   Once the river starts to rise it can move up quickly.