General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Unfortunately, this is not the worst part of the flooding. [View all]Igel
(35,268 posts)When I was a kid rainwater backed up the basement bathroom. I sort of forgot about this.
In Houston the sewer system and rainwater systems are separate. Pee in a storm drain and it'll bypass the sewage treatment plant and go straight to Galveston Bay, eventually.
Rainwater only gets into the sewers for waste treatment through manhole covers (maybe--that's speculation) and if a house floods enough for the water to go down the shower drain.
After Ike the car-accessible areas in front of where I lived were underwater, but at no point was there any problem with drainage from sinks, showers, or toilets.
Don't know about areas outside of the Houston area. I'm outside Houston now and it's still true, and I know that 10 miles north of here in The Woodlands it's true.
(But seriously. You're flooded out and in 3 feet of water, you pee where you stand.)