August 10, 2025 – West Bend, Wi – Quite a few families across Washington County, Wi, are dealing with flooded basements and Jim Sprouse, owner of Property Loss Management in West Bend, Wi, has some key tips to remember when dealing with indoor water damage.
Safety comes first according to Sprouse. The number one thing to be aware of when dealing with indoor flooding is the increased risk of slip and fall.
“Wet floors can be deceptively slick, especially when you twist or pivot,” said Sprouse. “If you have to go on wet floors, go very slow,” he advised. “Electricity is another hazard. If you can safely unplug items or shut off power to the basement, do so carefully. Using a flashlight, you can unplug electronics before turning power back on for lighting.”
When it comes to water, Sprouse said it’s important to know what type of standing water you’re dealing with because not all floodwater is the same.
– Category 2 (Gray Water) often comes from sump pumps—similar to muddy puddle water.
– Category 3 (Black Water) can back up through floor drains and may contain sewage.
“Don’t track that water through your house,” Sprouse said. “Keep a dedicated pair of rubber boots for basement use and prevent pets from entering. You don’t want stuff that was flushed down the toilet ending up on your couch or carpet.”
One of the easiest remedies is clearing floodwater is to check your floor drain. “If there’s standing water, inspect your floor drain,” said Sprouse. “Sometimes there’s just something covering it—like a plastic bag. If it’s clear and working, water may start to drain.”
The City of West Bend recently urged residents to limit water usage—avoiding showers, laundry, and dishwashers to prevent overloading the wastewater system. “If we all cooperate, we’ll get through this with less trouble,” Sprouse said.
Remove items from the flooded area quickly. “The longer things are in contact with water, the more damage they’re going to have,” said Sprouse. “Move dry items upstairs and elevate wet items on tables in the basement or relocate them to the garage to dry and sort.”
If your sump pump fails, you can buy a temporary pump at a hardware store. “Hook a garden hose to it, plug it in, lower it into your sump pit, and pump the water outside onto the grass,” Sprouse said. “Avoid pumping more water into the city’s wastewater system when possible.”
Todd Tennies with Tennies Ace Hardware said a lot of people are coming in today for cleanup supplies.
“We’re selling a lot of sump pumps and pump hose, including a lot of garden hose,” said Tennies. “We’re selling dehumidifiers, floor fans, cleaning chemicals such as bleach and mops and floor squeegees. We have more supplies coming in on Tuesday.”
Tennies Ace Hardware is locally owned with stores in Kewaskum, West Bend, and Jackson, Wi.
August 10, 2025 – Washington Co., WI – Neighbors across Washington County, Wi, are assessing damage and lending a hand with cleanup following several rounds of heavy rain Saturday and Sunday. Rainfall totals, power outages, and local flooding details are below. Submit your flooding/damage photos to washcoinsider@gmail.com
Roads have been shut down in the area because of localized flooding in West Bend and Germantown, WI.
A couple notes:
- There are power outages across Washington County, WI, and neighboring communities. Ozaukee 1428 – Sheboygan 58 – Washington 2742 – Waukesha 8658
– Games have been cancelled at Carl M. Kuss Memorial Park because of flooding.
- Shalom Wildlife is closed because of high water
- Village of Richfield, WI – The Village’s DPW has been tending to multiple reports of fallen trees from these recent storms, along with flooding and washouts. If you see a tree partially or fully blocking a road, please contact the Washington County, Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office Non-Emergency line at 262-335-4378. We will be placing a truckload of sand and sandbags out in front of the salt shed at 1345 Hillside Road starting Monday morning. Until then, a pile of stone and sandbag supplies have been placed outside for those in immediate need.
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- Village of Germantown, WI – What is a Sanitary Sewer Overflow and Why Does Heavy Rain Effect Our Sewer System?
We have been getting questions about what a sanitary sewer overflow is and why the heavy rains effect our sewer system. Unlike water lines, sewer lines are not pressurized and are not entirely watertight. Over time pipes crack, gaskets deteriorate, tree roots grow into cracks and water infiltrates the sewer system. Many of these issues are on private sewer laterals. The Village has partnered and will continue to partner with MMSD on Private Property Inflow & Infiltration programs that reduce the amount of rainwater that gets into the system. In addition when there is flooding water can get into the system directly through bathroom fixtures or drains. Our sewer system, like all sewer systems is not watertight.
During a heavy rainstorm like this one, the amount of rainwater that gets into the system causes extremely heavy flows that overwhelm our pipes and lift stations. When this happens, we set up auxiliary pumps and pump the rainwater/sewage mix directly into the river. While this is obviously not good, it is better than the alternative of having the sewage back up into basements.
Residents can help alleviate this situation by reducing your water usage until the amount of rainwater flowing into the system subsides and the lift stations can catch up.
Our last overflow was in 2006 and once this event is over we will analyze the data and see if there are any steps we can take to further secure our sewer system. - Neighbors are chiming in with some heavy rainfall totals and more precipitation is on the way.
August 10, 2025 – Washington Co., WI – Well that was a good soaker. Chime in with your rainfall totals across Washington County, WI.
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