mfadam wrote:
Anyone with basement flooding experience know how long it typically takes for the wet basement smell to revert back to pre-flood levels?

We've got fans and dehumidifiers going nonstop and the smell is barely going away at all. All the wet stuff was hauled out within a few days of Irene.

Pine Sol has only masked the smell for a day or so. Any thoughts on other strategies? Thanks...

MDM wrote:
http://spec-chem.com/basement/index.htm

Used the product on my basement and its worked really well. I wanted to check to see if they would recommend any fabric re-enforcement like with their roofing products. The answer is 'no'.

The do recommend though:

All paint be stripped from the walls.
You put on at least two coats.

dtjcview wrote:
GAWD! BREWSTER!

LEARN TO READ FFS!!!

I hate that the EPA called this "Green" because most people will think its planting trees etc like you did. ITS NOT.

READ IT. READ THE EXAMPLE BELOW.ITS NOT ABOUT PLANTING FREAKING TREES!!!



Stormwater Fees

Stormwater fees are used to generate a dedicated revenue stream to address the increasing investment most communities will have to make to control both combined sewer overflows and stormwater runoff. Some municipalities need additional funding for new infrastructure required to meet the demands of growth and development or changing regulatory requirements, while older communities often need extra revenue to repair and maintain existing storm sewer systems. Traditionally, the costs for stormwater management were paid for with general funds collected through taxes, such as a property tax, or through a property?s water bill. Stormwater user fees are now being used to direct the costs for stormwater management towards those properties that actually create the most runoff entering the public system. Unlike familiar water and wastewater utility fees, utility fees for stormwater management are a relatively new concept. Their use arose from the recognition that managing stormwater imparts a fiscal impact on a municipality to manage infrastructure and provide environmental protection. An increasingly common method for calculating a stormwater user fee is an impervious surface based billing system. Because runoff from impervious areas is the primary contributor to the storm sewer system, this system is seen as a more equitable determination for fees than some early methods of calculating charges, such as a meter-based fee, which charges by water consumption. For example, a parking lot may not use potable water on site but discharges significantly more runoff than a residence or business of a similar size The stormwater fee should reflect the contribution of runoff from a particular site. Many communities will calculate user fees for commercial, multi-family residential and industrial properties based on total lot size and percentage of imperviousness. These rates are measured through a Geographic Information System (GIS) and orthographic flyover image data that accurately accounts for the stormwater runoff inputs of these large customer parcels. For ease of collection, the stormwater fee is often added to water, sewer or utility bills Some cities charge the user fee as a monthly or annual tax. In San Jose, California, for instance, the Santa Clara County Tax Collector?s Office collects the Storm Sewer Service Charge through the annual property tax roll.

dtjcview wrote:
I think we'd be better off pushing the JC council to adopt a set of "Green Infrastruture" municipal policies that will apply across new developments, municipal works and contracts, etc.

hero69 wrote:
have u thought about concreting ur basement, if u haven't already. I would think that would help. wouldn't hydraulic cemen do the trick?

hero69 wrote:
i agree that JC government is lame - both Republican and Democrat! Have you thought about raising your bathroom so that you can install sometime of device between the sewer connection and your toilets and sinks that will keep the water from backing up. might not be pretty but perhaps it will keep the ick stuff out of your apartment.

teacher wrote:
respectfully do not agree. A class action suit is needed to make the town move on this or pay us out. I've spent about $25k trying to fend off the water... to no avail.
Taking a step further...if we had police cuts would you hire your own security force? If the sidewalk was ripped up in front of your stoop, would you pay to fix it? If the street Lamps were out, do you climb up and change them?

hero69 wrote:
I see that certain parts of JC flood constantly. Instead of eternally waiting on the City to do something (which ain't gonna happen), I think homeowners should be much more proactive.

Why not build 3-4 feet high brick walls with glass/steel gates that ca seal out water so that water doesn't pour in from the streets/sidewalks whenever they flood and then have smaller 1' high brick around the entry steps to keep out that water.