Most homes outside city limits run on a private well and a septic system, so one flood can reach both. Treat tap water as unsafe to drink or cook with until the county health district says otherwise. Cleanup treats sewage water as contaminated and dries what can be saved. Tank pumping and well work go to registered providers.
Key takeaways
- Outside Springfield's city limits, a house usually has its own well and septic system, and the city's water and sewer service does not reach them.
- The Clark County Combined Health District permits and inspects household sewage treatment systems and private water systems, and requires a permit to drill, alter or seal a well.
- Sewage and septic backup water is treated as contaminated, so the cleanup crew removes porous materials it has soaked rather than trying to save them.
- Tank pumping, drainfield repair and well work belong to registered providers and the health district, not to the drying crew.
- A flooded area around a well head is a water-quality question as well as a drying job, so the tap stays off until the supply is checked.
- Whether a homeowners policy covers a septic failure is a question for your own policy and your agent, and the crew can document the damage either way.
Is a septic backup handled differently from a city sewer backup?
Yes. A septic system sits on your own land, so the tank, the drainfield and any repair belong to you and to a registered provider, not to the city. Inside the house, the cleanup work is much the same.
Springfield's water, sewer and stormwater service runs to properties inside the city limits, and the older parts of the city have a combined sewer that carries sewage and stormwater in the same pipes. Once you leave those limits, the usual setup in the farm townships is a private well and a household sewage treatment system on the same lot. When that system backs up or floods, the water comes up through floor drains, the lowest toilet or shower, and sometimes the basement sump. The source is different from a city main, so the question of who fixes what starts with where the blockage or failure sits, and the Springfield area page covers the city side of that line.
The cleanup inside the house follows the same drying sequence as any water loss, with one important difference: the water is sewage. Published industry guidance, the IICRC S500 standard, places sewage and septic water in the most serious water category, which means porous materials it soaks are usually removed rather than saved. A technician should expect to pull carpet and pad, the lower sections of drywall, insulation and sometimes subfloor, then clean and dry what remains. The work is described on the septic backup cleanup page.
Who regulates the septic system and the private well in Clark County?
The Clark County Combined Health District permits and inspects household sewage treatment systems and private water systems. It also requires a permit before a well is drilled, altered or sealed. Outside Clark County, the health district or building department where the house sits does this work.
The district registers sewage-system installers, septage haulers and service providers, so a provider who pumps or repairs a tank should appear on its registration lists. Its homeowner brochure says the district is phasing operation permits onto an estimated 20,000-plus pre-existing household sewage systems in the county. Many of those systems pre-date the current operation-permit requirement, which is one reason an older farm can have a tank with no current paperwork. When you call, ask for the permit and inspection history for both the system and the well, because those records are what the health district holds.
Outside Clark County, the rules come from a different office. Greene County Public Health, for example, runs its own plumbing regulations, so the county line matters before you call anyone. The health district is also the place to ask about a well that was drilled decades ago and never recorded. Your insurer, the crew and the health district each answer a different question, so keep those conversations separate.
When should I stop using the tap water?
Stop drinking, cooking and brushing teeth with tap water as soon as sewage or floodwater may have reached the well, its pump or its pressure tank. Keep the tap off until the county health district or a testing lab says the supply is safe to use.
Several signs call for that step: sewage odor or a backup in the house, standing water over the well cap or in the pump house, a basement that flooded around the well casing, or a power outage that left the pump off for a long time. Clear water is not evidence of safety, because a supply can look clear and still be unsafe. Treat the water as unsafe and tell everyone in the house, including anyone who fills livestock buckets from the same well.
Bottled water or water from a source you know is safe covers drinking, cooking and brushing teeth in the meantime. Washing dishes and clothes should also wait until the supply has been cleared, and avoid bathing if you have a cut or open skin. Ask the Clark County Combined Health District what testing it requires before the tap is used again, and ask whether the well needs a qualified provider to inspect it. Running the pump to flush the lines before anyone has checked the system is a decision to make with the health district, not a first step.
Why is a flooded basement around a well head a water-quality question?
A well is only as protected as its casing and cap at ground level, so water that stands or flows around the well head can carry contamination toward the supply. That makes a wet basement a water-quality question, not only a drying job.
A private well draws water from the ground through a casing that is meant to keep surface water out. When floodwater or sewage stands around the well head, or runs into a pit or pump house where the pump, pressure tank and wiring sit, the question becomes what might have reached the water, not just what got wet. Drying the basement does not answer that question. Each private well draws from its own ground, so a city water-quality report does not describe a farm well at all.
The order matters. Protect people first by staying out of standing water near outlets and the furnace, keeping children and pets away, and keeping the tap off. Then the crew can dry the space and remove wet materials, while the well, the pump and the water itself are checked by someone qualified for that work. Photograph the well head, the pump house and any water marks on the walls before cleanup starts, since those photos show where the water stood.
What does cleanup inside the house involve?
The crew checks for hidden moisture, removes materials that cannot be cleaned and dried, cleans what can be saved, and sets air movers and dehumidifiers until the structure reads dry. The process is the same whether the source was a septic backup or a flood, but sewage makes the removal list longer.
Crews check for hidden moisture with moisture meters and thermal imaging, because wet wall cavities and subfloors are where drying most often fails. They then set air movers and dehumidifiers and re-read the materials until they are dry. Carpet and pad, drywall and insulation at the base of the walls, and subfloor soaked with sewage are usually removed. The crew can hand you photos and moisture readings to give your insurer, and hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected before they are dried.
Farmhouses add complications. Unheated cellars, lath-and-plaster walls, outbuildings and long runs of exposed pipe all mean more hidden moisture and more materials to assess. Older houses can also contain asbestos in joint compound, textured ceilings, old floor tile and pipe insulation, and lead in paint, so check with Ohio EPA and your county health district before anything is torn out. Keep children and pets out of the work area, wear gloves, and photograph everything before it is moved. For the general drying steps, see the water damage restoration page.
Does homeowners insurance cover a septic backup or a well problem?
Check your policy. Standard homeowners policies generally respond to sudden and accidental water damage, but they generally do not cover sewer and drain backup, and a failing septic system is usually treated as maintenance.
The Ohio Department of Insurance lists water damage from a sewer backup or basement leak among the typical homeowners-policy exclusions, and says that protection usually comes by an added endorsement. Ask your agent whether your policy has a sewer or drain backup endorsement, and how it treats a septic failure specifically. Flood is a separate matter. Surface water from rivers and creeks is generally covered only by a separate flood policy, through FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer, and that matters along Buck Creek and the Mad River.
The Department of Insurance takes consumer complaints online and by phone at 800-686-1526 if you believe an insurer's decision is wrong. Coverage is your insurer's decision under your own policy, and nothing in this guide or from the crew promises a payment. What the crew can do is document the damage with photographs, moisture readings and a written description of the affected areas. Call your insurer early, and keep receipts for anything you pay out of pocket.
Who handles pumping, septic repair and well work?
A registered septic service provider or septage hauler pumps and repairs the tank, a registered provider handles the drainfield, and well drilling, alteration and sealing need a permit from the county health district. The cleanup crew does none of that work.
The cleanup crew does not pump septic tanks, repair drainfields, or drill, seal or repair wells. Those jobs go to registered providers, and the health district keeps the permit and registration records. Plumbing is a separate question. Plumbing is a licensed trade in Ohio: the state board licenses commercial plumbing contractors, residential work is handled locally, and the state sets the experience, exam and insurance requirements. Ask any company which license or registration it holds and check it with the office that issued it.
In Clark County, plumbing permits and inspections run through the health district's program, not a city building department, so that is where to ask about a permit for any new or repaired line. Outside Clark County, check the health district or building department for the address. If you call, say at the start whether the problem is a septic backup or a well problem, because that decides which provider and which office you need. Phones are answered 24/7 and a crew is dispatched as soon as one is available. Call (833) 490-5225.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep using the drains after a septic backup?
Stop using every drain the backup has reached, and avoid running water into the system until a registered provider has checked the tank. Adding water can push more sewage back into the house. Keep children and pets out of affected rooms, and wash hands with water you know is safe. A provider can tell you how long the system should rest before normal use.
Does clear well water mean it is safe to drink?
No. Clear water can still be unsafe, and the color of a glass tells you nothing about what may have reached the well. After any flooding or sewage contact, keep the tap off for drinking and cooking until the county health district or a testing lab says otherwise. Ask the health district what testing it requires before the supply is used again.
Does the city's water and sewer service cover a farm well or septic system?
The city's water, sewer and stormwater service covers properties inside the city limits. A property outside those limits usually has a private well and a household sewage treatment system, and the city's service does not extend to them. For a farm well, ask the Clark County Combined Health District about the permit and any testing it requires.
Will the cleanup crew pump my septic tank?
No. Pumping a septic tank is the work of a registered septic service provider or septage hauler. The cleanup crew handles the water damage inside the house, including drying and removing soaked materials. Ask the health district for a list of registered providers if you need one.
Is a septic backup covered by my homeowners insurance?
Check your policy and ask your agent directly. Standard homeowners policies generally do not cover sewer and drain backup, and a failing septic system is usually treated as maintenance. Some policies add a backup endorsement, so ask whether yours has one. The Ohio Department of Insurance takes complaints at 800-686-1526.
How do I find out whether my well was permitted?
Ask the Clark County Combined Health District, which permits and inspects private water systems and requires a permit to drill, alter or seal a well. Have the property address ready and ask for any permit or inspection records on file. If the house is outside Clark County, contact the health district or building department where the house sits.
Sources
This guide is general information for Clark County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.