Sewage Backup in Thompson's Station: Is the Home on Town Sewer or Septic?

Where the Town's sewer reaches

The Town lists sewer service in only some subdivisions and areas. Sewer does not cover the whole town, and that matters because every later step depends on which system a home uses.

A homeowner calling for water damage restoration in Thompson's Station after a backup should know which side of that list the home falls on, because a Town sewer problem and a septic problem call for different repairs.

• Subdivisions: Allenwood, Avenue Downs, Bridgemore Village, Fields of Canterbury, Littlebury, Tollgate Village and Whistle Stop.
• Commercial: the Heritage Commons Commercial District.

Two plants run by the Town

The Town's Wastewater Department operates two plants, the Heritage Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The Regional plant was designed and built in 2006 by the developers of Tollgate Village, Bridgemore Village and Fields of Canterbury, and its management was later given to the Town. The Heritage plant serves the commercial areas next to Heritage Elementary School and Heritage Middle School and buildings in Town Center.

The Town says both systems are at capacity until upgrades to the Regional plant are finished. That statement is about plant capacity, not about any one home's drain, so a backup inside a house still needs its own diagnosis.

Homes that are not on Town sewer

Where a home sits outside the listed areas, the first thing to confirm is whether it has a septic system. The Town's Building and Codes information says septic inspections are done by the County.

A septic backup is contaminated water too. It often points to a full tank or a failed drain field instead of a blocked pipe, which is why the cause has to be found before the cleanup is called finished.

A few checks show which system a home uses:

• Check the closing papers or property records for the words sewer or septic.
• Compare the home's subdivision name with the Town's list of sewer service areas.
• Look for a septic tank lid or a drain field in the yard.
• Do not rely on the mailing address, as the next section explains.

A mailing address does not settle it

ZIP code 37179 covers Thompson's Station but extends into the city of Spring Hill, so some properties with Thompson's Station addresses are actually in Spring Hill. Some property inside the town limits has a Franklin address instead.

The subdivision name and the property records are better evidence than the address on the mail.

Water is a separate service. HB&TS Utility District, a non profit public utility created in 1968, provides water in Thompson's Station, while sewer, where the Town provides it, comes through the Town's Wastewater Department.

Warning signs and the first steps

A full backup rarely comes without hints. A few small changes in how the house drains can show up days before sewage reaches a floor.

• More than one fixture draining slowly at the same time
• Gurgling from a drain or a toilet when another fixture runs
• A sewer smell near a floor drain, a tub or the lowest level
• Water rising in a tub or shower when a toilet is flushed

The moment sewage backs up

The first steps are about safety and about keeping the problem from growing.

• Stop the water: Stop using sinks, tubs, toilets and the washer, since every drain in the house feeds the same pipe.
• Keep people out: Keep children and pets away from the affected room, and do not walk through the water.
• Skip the vacuum: Do not run a household vacuum over sewage.
• Photograph: Record the affected rooms, the drain that backed up and any water marks before cleanup begins.
• Find the cause: A plumber, or a septic service for a septic home, finds the blockage or the full tank, so ask for the finding in writing.

What the cleanup involves

Sewage is Category 3 water the moment it backs up, whether it comes from a Town sewer or a septic tank. A sewage backup cleanup crew works in protective gear and sets up containment so the problem does not reach clean rooms.

Porous materials the water touched, such as carpet, pad and wet drywall, are removed. Hard surfaces are cleaned and treated with an EPA registered antimicrobial.

HEPA air scrubbers run inside the containment to filter the air while the work is under way, and the crew treats the drain area and the floor beneath removed materials before anything is rebuilt.

After that comes structural drying, with air movers and LGR dehumidifiers running until readings match a dry reference. The crew keeps the logs that a claim file needs.

Owners, renters and the insurer

About 81.3% of occupied homes in Thompson's Station are owner occupied, and an estimated 542 of the 2,906 occupied homes are rented. Owners call the plumber and the insurer, while renters tell the landlord or property manager right away, in writing, with photographs.

Sewer or water backup coverage is often an optional add on to a homeowners policy, so read the wording and ask the insurer before work starts. The same process applies to sewage backup cleanup in Spring Hill for a property whose Thompson's Station address is actually in Spring Hill.