The Scottish Plumber has been working Chicago’s neighborhoods for generations and knows the ins and outs of old plumbing, the permits required and areas of the city and suburbs with specific flooding concerns.
Chicago has aging sewer systems causing more and more local flooding problems to occur. Systems are being overtaxed by snow melt and rainwater mixed with sewage. When this happens this filthy and unhealthy mixture backs up in to residences and commercial buildings which do not have working flood control systems in place.
We will continue to get more and moisture here in Chicago according to Scientists (article below). For this reason it is advisable for business’ and residents who have encountered basement flooding in the past to install or update their flood control systems. Yearly visual and/or professional inspections should be done to confirm these systems are working properly. These are mechanical systems which need yearly maintenance so they will be ready to provide the protection needed when called upon. Sump Pumps and Ejector Pumps jobs are to keep ground water out and to pump sewage into city sewers. These pumps are not intended for flood control and cannot be expected to hold back a sewage backup caused by storm water.. Professional advice is suggested so a complete system (correctly sized and engineered for your specific needs), which will keep your belongings and building from safe from water damage.
The Scottish Plumber’s specialty is flood control systems, no-dig trenchless sewer repair and drainage issues. We install, repair and design flood control systems for clients with hard to solve drainage issues. We are so confident in our flood control system that it comes with a 10 year guarantee against this type of flooding. Call today for a free estimate.
BEST PRACTICES ON FLOOD PREVENTION, PROTECTION AND MITIGATION
The major part of population and goods are located in big urban areas so efforts for avoiding flood problems should be focused on these urban areas. Rivers overflowing do not always cause urban floods; they can also be caused by high rain intensities over the city combined with aging sewers systems. Special attention should be taken to the present drainage of rainwater, for instance the capacity of the sewer systems of our cities.
The probability of flooding is expected to increase: the earth’s climate is changing rapidly. Since the warm period in the Middle Ages and after the Minor Boulder, the earth is undeniably growing warmer again. Scientists reached agreement on this point at a conference in Shanghai in early 2001. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assumes that we will see an average of temperature rise in the 21st century (1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius). Based on this assumption, the sea is expected to rise (9 cm to 88 cm by the year 2100). The precipitation pattern will also change. Humid areas will generally become more humid and arid areas more arid. The amount of precipitation will also fluctuate more sharply (Interreg Rhine Meuse Activities best practices – IRMA -2003). In general, this means a greater probability of flooding and extremely low rivers during dry periods. The rising sea level will make it more difficult for the rivers in the delta to drain into the sea. The impact of flooding increases: the impact of floods in terms of human health and economic losses has risen, and the planning of protection against floods can no longer be limited to protecting some isolated assets from certain types of danger.
Reference: Executive Summary dated Sept 25th, 2003
http://www.floods.org/PDF/Intl_BestPractices_EU_2004.pdf