Hamilton County, MSD report river flooding; 259 calls, 23 referrals for sewer‑backup cleanup

Hamilton County commissioners on April 10 heard updates from the Metropolitan Sewer District on river flooding that began April 4 and affected low‑lying riverfront neighborhoods.

At the meeting, an MSD representative said the agency received 259 customer reports during the multi‑day event and referred 23 properties for sewer‑backup cleaning services under MSD’s SBU program. “Of those calls that we responded to and investigated, we have referred 23 at this point in time for cleaning services,” the MSD representative said. The district said most calls were due to river flood inundation of private property rather than capacity backups in the public sewer system, and therefore were not eligible for SBU assistance.

The distinction matters because the SBU program, the MSD official said, operates under MSD’s consent decree and is intended to address “capacity related backups into a building’s basement typically” caused by the public sewer system. The MSD representative added that properties affected by historic river flooding should contact county Emergency Management Agency (EMA) or their local municipal offices for damage assessment and resources.

During public comment, resident Stefan Pryor urged commissioners to visit Riverside Drive and see conditions firsthand. “I went down and paid a visit to the…Riverside Drive down in the East End. Some residents, apartments, houses got flooded in the basement,” Pryor said. He told the board some residents reported no callback from MSD despite learning from MSD materials that cleanup help may be available.

Commissioners and county staff said they were coordinating response and thanked crews who cleared mud, debris and fish from affected parking garages and riverfront structures. One commissioner described the riverfront parking garages as “built to flood” and said crews were working to make upper‑level parking available for upcoming events. County Administrator Jeff Alito and others praised MSD and municipal partners for proactive work, noting Newtown officials had sent a message that MSD operations reduced impacts there compared with 2018.

MSD explained that in floodplain locations the public sewer system itself can be inundated by river water, which changes eligibility for SBU services. The district said it will follow up with individual callers who remain uncertain about eligibility and continue to coordinate damage assessments with county EMA and local jurisdictions.

Clarifications from the meeting: - The rain event began the night of April 4; the highest call volumes occurred through April 9. - MSD reported 259 customer calls to its backup hotline and online reporting; 23 properties were referred for SBU cleaning services (about 9% of calls). - Affected communities mentioned in the update included Riverside, Cleves, Columbia‑Tusculum and Newtown.

The board did not take formal action on flood relief at the meeting; commissioners asked MSD and EMA to keep coordinating with affected residents and agencies.