Swine Flu : Denver Sewage and Power Grid Down

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I have this posted in the General Area but have also put it here since this is specific to the Denver Metro Area.  My plumber is smart when it comes to the working of Denver Sewer but like I said below he thinks it is smart to prepare for sewage backup if the grid goes down.  I am not sure that TPTB would dump highly germ laden sewage out into the Platte River but if it backs up into homes there may be no choice. This will all be interesting...

Had my plumber in today…here is the truth on sewage backing into our homes.  Yes you can stop it!  I have a floor drain 2” in the basement, a 4” toilet drain on our ground floor and a 1 ½” sink drain on our first floor and a 1 ½ “ drain on my kitchen sink.  For each of those drains I need a plumber plug, aka, dynamite plug, aka, expansion plug.   They come in plastic or aluminum plugs…I am going for the aluminum just because I believe they will hold better.   You can purchase these plugs in plastic at Home Depot, Lowes or your local hardware store.
You put these plugs where the pipe comes out of the floor and/or wall.  So yes I will have to move the toilet off the drain pipe and disconnect the pipes from the sinks at the wall…I can do this, hope you can too.
My plumber says that here in the Denver Metro area that yes if the pumps that process the waste stop at the Sewage Plants then the sewage will back up.   However, he believes that there are backup generators and failing the backup generators he believes that they could dump the waste directly into to Platte River…bad news.
I however, being a germaphobe  I DO NOT want to chance sewage coming up into my house.  So I am going to plug up my first floor if the power goes out for over 2-3 days. 
Interesting, my plumber, a young guy in his late 30’s early 40’s, says he was not aware of the Pandemic and the possibility of the power grid going down if this turns deadly.  He said he was on a septic system and I told him to have it pumped out this summer…he is going to do that.  He said he was on well water and I told him to get a hand pump for the well…he already had one but he was now going to clean it up and make sure it works.  I told him to have at least a month of food on hand…he says he does…but I bet he does not know what a month of food looks like; like most of America.
I also told him this Pandemic may not turn deadly but if it did and the grid goes down, I did not want sewage in my house and he thought I was smart in doing this.  So maybe we preppers are pretty smart and maybe I got one more person to prep a little.

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FluMom Forum Moderator Regional Volunteer for CO, NE & WY Joined: April 26 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 264	Topic: Denver Sewage and Power Grid Down Posted: June 22 2009 at 1:26pm
	I have this posted in the General Area but have also put it here since this is specific to the Denver Metro Area. My plumber is smart when it comes to the working of Denver Sewer but like I said below he thinks it is smart to prepare for sewage backup if the grid goes down. I am not sure that TPTB would dump highly germ laden sewage out into the Platte River but if it backs up into homes there may be no choice. This will all be interesting... Had my plumber in today…here is the truth on sewage backing into our homes. Yes you can stop it! I have a floor drain 2” in the basement, a 4” toilet drain on our ground floor and a 1 ½” sink drain on our first floor and a 1 ½ “ drain on my kitchen sink. For each of those drains I need a plumber plug, aka, dynamite plug, aka, expansion plug. They come in plastic or aluminum plugs…I am going for the aluminum just because I believe they will hold better. You can purchase these plugs in plastic at Home Depot, Lowes or your local hardware store. You put these plugs where the pipe comes out of the floor and/or wall. So yes I will have to move the toilet off the drain pipe and disconnect the pipes from the sinks at the wall…I can do this, hope you can too. My plumber says that here in the Denver Metro area that yes if the pumps that process the waste stop at the Sewage Plants then the sewage will back up. However, he believes that there are backup generators and failing the backup generators he believes that they could dump the waste directly into to Platte River…bad news. I however, being a germaphobe I DO NOT want to chance sewage coming up into my house. So I am going to plug up my first floor if the power goes out for over 2-3 days. Interesting, my plumber, a young guy in his late 30’s early 40’s, says he was not aware of the Pandemic and the possibility of the power grid going down if this turns deadly. He said he was on a septic system and I told him to have it pumped out this summer…he is going to do that. He said he was on well water and I told him to get a hand pump for the well…he already had one but he was now going to clean it up and make sure it works. I told him to have at least a month of food on hand…he says he does…but I bet he does not know what a month of food looks like; like most of America. I also told him this Pandemic may not turn deadly but if it did and the grid goes down, I did not want sewage in my house and he thought I was smart in doing this. So maybe we preppers are pretty smart and maybe I got one more person to prep a little.
	Always Be Prepared
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kswanson09 V.I.P. Member Joined: April 28 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 58	Posted: July 01 2009 at 3:51pm
	what about in the case of an apartment??
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FluMom Forum Moderator Regional Volunteer for CO, NE & WY Joined: April 26 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 264	Posted: July 11 2009 at 9:43pm
	From what I have read if you are 23 feet above the nearest manhole cover you are ok. But an apartment I am not sure. That is a whole different animal. Call your local waste disposal department they will know.
	Always Be Prepared
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