MSD's Sewer Backup Program: The First 48 Hours

Updated 2026-10 · Cincinnati, OH

The clock starts when you find it

MSD of Greater Cincinnati runs the Sewer Backup program, known as SBU and previously as Water-in-Basement. It exists because much of the region's older sewer system is combined, carrying stormwater and wastewater in the same pipes, and in a big storm those pipes can push sewage back into basements. The rule that matters most is simple: to be potentially eligible for cleaning or reimbursement, you must report the backup to MSD within 48 hours of discovering it. Report even if the water has already gone down. MSD takes reports around the clock by phone or through the form at msdgc.org/sbu.

Hour by hour

First hour

Stop using water in the house. Keep people and pets away from it. Photograph the water level, the drain, and every damaged item before you move anything. Write down the time.

Same day

Report to MSD. Then start cleaning; the city's advice after the July 2026 storms was explicit that you should not wait for MSD's investigation to begin cleanup. Wear gloves and boots. Porous things soaked in sewage, such as carpet, pad and upholstered furniture, generally cannot be saved; photograph them before they go out.

Within two days

MSD investigates and decides whether the public sewer caused it. If it did, and the property is eligible, MSD arranges professional cleaning at no charge and contacts you by phone to schedule it.

What gets reimbursed, and what does not

Damage from backups caused by inadequate capacity, or negligent maintenance or operation, of the MSD public sewer can be reimbursed. Three exclusions matter:

• Overland or street flooding: water that came in through doors, window wells or walls
• Backups caused by the private building sewer, which the owner keeps clear from the house to the public main
• Undocumented damage: no photo, inventory, estimate or receipt, no reimbursement

Getting MSD's free cleaning does not guarantee a damage payment. And Ohio law requires MSD to deduct any benefit you are entitled to from private insurance, so the claim form asks for your homeowner or renter policy details and will not be processed without them.

Most backups are not MSD's

The city's own guidance says about 85% of reported backups are not caused by the public sewer. In 2024 MSD received backup reports from 2,871 properties; a full investigation found 129 were caused by the public sewer, about 4.5%. After the July 2026 storms, which MSD described as a 1,000-year event, more than 1,500 possible backups were reported in a week, and early findings put roughly 500 as eligible. A storm that big is when the public sewer is most likely to be the cause, and it is still not most of the time.

When the cause is private

Then it is the owner's job to clean up and repair, and MSD itself recommends a plumber to find the problem and a water restoration company to clean up. The plumber's camera footage and invoice are also the evidence if you later dispute MSD's finding.

If it keeps happening

Two or more public-sewer backups from inadequate capacity in five years may qualify a property for MSD's Prevention Program, which designs and installs a backflow prevention device or a pump system at no cost. Expect six months to a year, a site investigation including camera and dye testing, and a Covenant and Agreement recorded on your deed. If you disagree with a decision, the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati acts as ombudsman for the program.

Where to go next

• Basement sewer backups: cause, cleanup and prevention
• Sump pump or backwater valve?
• What to do before anyone arrives