Sewer Backup Instructions

What To Do If You Have a Sewer Backup

If the backup occurs during office hours of Monday through Friday from 8:30am – 5:00pm:

If you experience a sewer backup during the Authority's office hours you should call the Authority's Administrative offices at (717) 545-0116 and explain your situation to the staff member who answers your call. They will dispatch a member of the Authority's Maintenance staff to inspect the sewer main which your home is connected into to see if a blockage is occurring in the sewer main.

If the Maintenance staff finds that the sewer main is blocked, the Maintenance staff will unblock it, at which point your backup should alleviate itself. If the problem is not resolved or if the Maintenance staff finds that the sewer main is not blocked, you will need to call a plumber to take care of the blockage in your lateral.

If the backup occurs after hours:

If you experience a sewer backup outside of the Authority's normal business hours which requires immediate assistance, please telephone Dauphin County Control at (717) 558-6900 or you can also telephone a plumber.

Please note that at no time will an Authority Employee enter your home in an effort to fix your backup problem. The homeowner is responsible for the maintenance and repair of their sewer lateral which runs from their home to the sewer main.

Insurance Coverage for Sewer Backups:

The Susquehanna Township Authority is generally not legally responsible under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for any costs for clean-up or repair relating to a sewer backup in your home. However many insurance carriers do provide insurance coverage for such expenses under their homeowners policy, but normally only by specific coverage endorsement, or modification, at a reasonable cost. You are strongly urged to contact your insurance agent to discuss obtaining this coverage providing for damages resulting from back up of sewers and drains.