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Report a Spill
If you see a sewage spill occurring NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY by calling our office at (909) 584-4018.
Sewer spills occur when the wastewater being transported via underground pipes overflows through a manhole, cleanout, or broken pipe. Sewage spills can cause health hazards, damage to homes and businesses, and threaten the environment and local waterways. Common causes of sewage spills are:
- Grease builds up inside and eventually blocks sewer pipes. Grease gets into the sewer from food establishments, household drains, as well as from poorly maintained commercial grease traps and interceptors.
- Structure problems caused by tree roots in the lines, broken/cracked pipes, missing or broken cleanout caps or undersized sewers can cause blockages.
- Infiltration and inflow (I/I) impacts the pipe capacity and is caused when groundwater or rainwater enters the sewer system through pipe defects and illegal connections.
Sewage spills can be very noticeable: gushing of water from a manhole or a slow water leak that may take time to be noticed. Don’t dismiss unaccounted for wet areas.
Look for:
- drain backups inside a building;
- wet ground and water leaking around manhole lids onto your street;
- leaking water from cleanouts or outside drains; or
- unusual odorous wet areas such as sidewalks, external walls, or ground/landscape around a building.
Once you have identified a sewage spill, keep people and pets away from the area. Untreated sewage has high levels of disease causing viruses and bacteria.
If you do not have a sewage spill, but would like to report an odor, please complete the Report an Odor form:
Sewage Spill Prevention
You can help prevent sewage spills. Never put grease down garbage disposals, drains, or toilets. Perform periodic cleaning to eliminate grease, debris and roots in your service laterals. Repair any structural problems in your sewer system and eliminate any rainwater infiltration/inflow leaks into your service laterals.
Our member agencies have legal jurisdiction and enforcement authority to ensure that sewage spills are remedied. They may respond with containment, relieving pipe blockages, and/or clean-up of the sewage spill, especially if the spill is flowing into storm drains, public property, or local waterways.
Contact Info
Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency
121 Palomino Drive
P.O. Box 517
Big Bear City, CA 92314
(909) 584-4018