Commercial Flood and Sewer Cleanup in Massachusetts

Speed matters with commercial flood and sewer water in Massachusetts because the water is contaminated and soaks into everything it touches. In March 2010, three rounds of rain gave Boston a record March, rivers set record crests from the Concord at Lowell to the Charles at Waltham, basement flooding was widespread, and most of the damage was outside mapped flood zones. In September 2023, about 9.5 inches fell on Leominster in a day and about 5 inches fell on North Attleborough in three to four hours. In older cities, one pipe can carry both sewage and stormwater, and heavy rain can push water back through floor drains.

In the first hour, sewage or flood water spreads across the floor and soaks into drywall, carpet and anything stored low. By 24 hours, bacteria have spread through porous materials and the smell fills the building. At 48 hours, wet drywall and insulation can start to grow mold, and the job is no longer just cleaning. After a week, a restaurant, store or office faces a full tear-out, odor that lingers in the walls and a longer closure, with stock and equipment that has to be cleaned or replaced.

With category 3 water, the materials that can stay are the hard, non-porous ones. Concrete slabs and foundation walls are cleaned, disinfected and dried in place. Steel studs, metal doors and frames, stainless kitchen equipment, metal shelving and sealed tile can usually be cleaned and kept. Solid wood framing that was cleaned quickly is often dried rather than replaced, with meter readings to confirm it is dry. Ceramic tile on a slab and sealed concrete floors in restaurants, warehouses and mechanical rooms generally survive once they are washed, disinfected and dried.

Porous materials the water reached are removed. That means carpet and pad, drywall cut well above the water line, insulation in wet walls, ceiling tiles that were splashed, particleboard furniture and casework, and upholstered seating. Cardboard boxes, paper records and food stock that sat in sewage or flood water are thrown out. In apartment buildings, tenant belongings that sewage reached are set aside for the owner and tenants to decide on, and porous items are usually not saved. Removal is what keeps odor and bacteria from coming back.

Flood and sewer calls follow the weather across Massachusetts. On January 4, 2018 a nor'easter pushed Boston Harbor to 15.16 ft, the highest tide on record, and flooded parts of the downtown waterfront, and the March 2, 2018 storm brought heavy flooding in Quincy. Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Chelsea are documented combined sewer communities, where heavy rain can overload pipes that carry both sewage and stormwater. In the Merrimack Valley, the May 2006 Mother's Day flood brought about 12 inches of rain to Andover in three days and sewage overflow at Haverhill.

In Central Massachusetts, the September 2023 flash flood in Leominster damaged more than 100 homes and washed out roads. On the SouthCoast, Route 44 in Taunton closed in March 2010 for the first time in over 40 years, and New Bedford, Fall River and Taunton are documented combined sewer communities. Springfield and Holyoke, with their converted mill buildings, are on that list too. One call connects the owner or manager with a local crew equipped for category 3 work.