An old system in a dense city
Lakewood is one of the most densely built cities in Ohio, packed between Lake Erie and the Rocky River. According to the City, its earliest sewers were combined sewers carrying stormwater and sewage in one pipe, followed by over-under sewers with the storm pipe stacked directly above the sanitary pipe in the same trench. Lakewood still runs its own wastewater treatment plant, first built in 1916 in the Rocky River Valley.
The City is now carrying out its Integrated Wet Weather Improvement Plan under a federal consent decree to reduce combined sewer overflows to Lake Erie and the Rocky River. That is long-term public work. On private property, the job of keeping area drains, catch basins and storm lines clear still falls to the owner.
Why Lakewood properties clog
Lakewood's mature street trees drop heavy leaves every fall, and winter salt and sand wash into every drain. Apartment buildings and mixed-use properties often have small lots with only a few area drains, so when one fills, water has nowhere else to go. It ponds at entrances, freezes, or backs up toward basement stairwells and garages.
What we clean in Lakewood
- Catch basins and area drains in apartment and condo lots
- Basement stairwell and garage drains
- Storm lines between structures (jetting plus vacuum)
- Grease traps and interceptors for restaurants and bars along Detroit and Madison Avenues
- Emergency pump-outs after storms
Tight alleys and shared driveways are normal in Lakewood. Tell us about access when you call, and we'll plan the truck setup and hose run before we arrive.