Case Study: Rose Park Apartment Complex Sewage Backup
Category 3 sewage backup affecting 6 ground-floor units simultaneously through shared building drain system in a Rose Park multi-unit apartment complex. Response involved rapid coordination with property management, tenant relocation logistics, IICRC S500 Section 12 sewage cleanup across all affected units simultaneously, and coordination with property management insurance and adjacent unit owner considerations. Full restoration and tenant re-occupancy completed in 21 days.
Project Snapshot
- Location: Rose Park, Salt Lake City (property management company redacted per privacy agreement)
- Property type: Multi-unit apartment complex, ~24 units total, 3 stories, 1970s construction with shared building drain system
- Loss event: Category 3 sewage backup from municipal sewer overflow event affecting 6 ground-floor units through shared building drain
- Water category: IICRC S500 Category 3 (sewage-contaminated water requiring Section 12 protocol)
- Affected areas: 6 ground-floor apartment units including bathrooms, kitchens, and living areas; shared building common corridor
- Response time: 26 minutes from initial call to on-site response
- Project timeline: 21 days from response to full tenant re-occupancy across all 6 units
- Insurance coordination: Commercial property policy for property owner; individual tenant renters insurance for personal contents
The Event
Municipal sewer overflow event during heavy precipitation coincidence produced sewer backup through the apartment complex’s shared building drain system, backing up through ground-floor apartment plumbing fixtures. Six ground-floor units experienced sewage backup through toilets, tubs, and floor drains, with sewage-contaminated water spreading across bathroom, kitchen, and adjacent living areas of each affected unit. Total affected floor area approximately 4,200 sq ft across all 6 units.
Response Protocol
Initial Response (First 6 Hours)
Response crew arrived on-site 26 minutes after initial call from property management. Given the multi-unit scope, additional response teams were mobilized within the first hour. Initial actions under IICRC S500 Section 12 sewage cleanup protocol included:
- Source control coordination (municipal water supply shut off during initial response to prevent additional backup as municipal sewer overflow was assessed)
- Coordination with property management for immediate tenant notification and emergency relocation to alternative accommodation
- Multi-team deployment across all 6 affected units for simultaneous initial response
- Electrical safety assessment of all affected units and common corridor
- Category 3 sewage classification confirmation and full personal protective equipment protocol activation for all response crews
- Initial extraction with dedicated sewage-appropriate extraction equipment across all affected units
- Antimicrobial pre-treatment of affected surfaces during initial extraction
- Contents assessment per unit and separation of salvageable versus non-salvageable items with photographic documentation for insurance
Tenant Relocation Coordination
Multi-tenant relocation coordination scope:
- Emergency alternative accommodation coordination through property management for all 6 affected tenant households
- Tenant contents pack-out to designated storage with per-tenant separation and documentation
- Ongoing communication with each tenant regarding project timeline and pack-back scheduling
- Coordination with individual tenant renters insurance for personal contents restoration where applicable
Sewage Remediation (Days 2–10)
Full IICRC S500 Section 12 sewage remediation protocol across all 6 units:
- Removal and disposal of contaminated porous materials including carpet, carpet padding, drywall (bottom 24 inches per protocol), and affected upholstered furniture across all units
- Antimicrobial treatment of remaining surfaces including wood trim, wall studs, floor joists, and shared common corridor
- Post-treatment ATP surface testing using Hygiena EnSURE Touch to verify effective decontamination across all units
- Structural drying protocol with dedicated sewage-project equipment across all units simultaneously
- Hazard containment barriers between affected units and unaffected upper-floor units
Reconstruction (Days 8–21)
Reconstruction scope across all 6 units:
- New drywall installation with mold-resistant materials on all lower-24-inch replacement areas per unit
- New flooring installation appropriate for each unit’s original finish specification
- Bathroom fixture replacement where damaged and preservation where possible
- Kitchen restoration including cabinet salvage assessment and specialty coordination
- Common corridor restoration with attention to shared assembly considerations
- Coordination with property management for backwater valve installation on shared building drain as prevention against future backup events
Coordination and Insurance
Project coordination involved commercial property insurance policy for the property owner covering structural restoration and shared common area work, plus individual tenant renters insurance policies covering per-tenant personal contents restoration and alternative accommodation expenses. Vivid provided consolidated documentation for the property management commercial claim plus per-unit documentation appropriate for individual tenant renters insurance claims.
Outcome
Full restoration and tenant re-occupancy completed in 21 days across all 6 affected units. All affected tenants returned to fully restored apartments. Coordination with property management resulted in backwater valve installation on the shared building drain, dramatically reducing future backup risk from municipal sewer overflow events. Property management also coordinated with the municipality regarding the sewer overflow event and potential municipal infrastructure improvements.
Project Cost
Total project scope was in the low six-figure range for the property owner’s commercial property claim covering structural restoration and shared common area work across all 6 units. Individual tenant renters insurance claims varied by tenant but covered per-unit personal contents restoration and alternative accommodation expenses. Costs were fully covered through combined commercial property and individual tenant renters insurance with minimal out-of-pocket for either property owner or tenants beyond policy deductibles.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How quickly did Vivid respond to this Rose Park multi-unit emergency?
- Response crew arrived on-site 26 minutes after initial call from property management. Rose Park is within our typical 20–35 minute response range from our Fort Union office during standard conditions. Given the multi-unit scope, additional response teams were mobilized within the first hour to allow simultaneous response across all affected units. Emergency line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- How does Vivid coordinate multi-unit sewage response?
- Multi-unit sewage response requires substantially more coordination than single-unit response. Simultaneous response across all affected units requires multi-team deployment (Vivid mobilized additional teams within the first hour of initial response). Tenant relocation coordination through property management, per-tenant contents documentation, ongoing per-tenant communication, and coordination with both commercial property insurance and individual tenant renters insurance all add scope. Full IICRC S500 Section 12 sewage protocol is applied consistently across all units to ensure uniform restoration quality and coordinated timeline.
- What happens with tenant relocation during multi-unit sewage response?
- Emergency alternative accommodation is coordinated by property management for affected tenants during the response period. Individual tenant renters insurance typically covers alternative accommodation expenses under Additional Living Expenses coverage. Tenant contents pack-out to designated storage with per-tenant separation and documentation preserves personal contents through the response period, with pack-back to restored units coordinated per unit upon completion. Ongoing communication with each tenant regarding project timeline and pack-back scheduling minimizes tenant uncertainty during the extended response period.
- What caused this Rose Park sewer backup?
- Municipal sewer overflow event during heavy precipitation coincidence produced sewer backup through the apartment complex’s shared building drain system. Municipal sewer overflow events during heavy precipitation are one common source of multi-unit sewage backup in older apartment complexes where shared building drain systems can be back-loaded by municipal sewer overflow. Prevention through backwater valve installation on the shared building drain provides protection against future municipal sewer overflow events even without municipal infrastructure improvements.
- How can multi-unit property owners prevent similar events?
- Common prevention measures for multi-unit apartment complexes: backwater valve installation on shared building drain to prevent municipal sewer overflow backup ($3,000–$15,000 depending on drain configuration), sewer lateral inspection and replacement where warranted for building service laterals, regular preventive maintenance including hydrojetting to prevent grease and debris buildup, tenant education regarding household water use practices that reduce backup risk, and coordination with municipality regarding sewer capacity and overflow prevention. Commercial property insurance policy review to verify sewer backup coverage inclusion is also worth periodic review.
Contact Vivid Water Damage & Restoration
- Emergency Line (24/7): (385) 289-3885
- Address: 7084 S 2300 E #170, Salt Lake City, UT 84121
- License: Utah DOPL general contractor license #10894576-5501
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