A sanitary sewer is a series of pipes and pumps that carries waste to a treatment plant from toilets, sinks, showers, washing machines, anything that sends water down a drain.

SSO stands for Sanitary Sewer Overflow. An SSO occurs when raw sewage overflows or leaks from a sewer pipe before it has had a chance to be treated at a wastewater treatment facility. The overflow can occur at a pump station, a maintenance hole, broken pipe, or cleanout.

Sewers can develop cracks and breaks, or become clogged by tree roots or grease. Sometimes an area’s population grows beyond the capacity of the sewer system. These problems can cause the sanitary sewers to overflow into waterways or even back up into basements.

Direct contact with untreated sewage is definitely harmful, as human and animal wastes contain bacteria and other disease causing pathogens. When untreated sewage flows into local waterways, it degrades the quality of the water, harms aquatic life and requires more expensive treatment to discharge an acceptable quality of effluent into local waterways.

Through an extensive rehabilitation of the sewer system, the City will repair or replace broken pipes and other drainage structures. In addition, improvements will also be made at treatment plants to ensure that they have the capacity to receive and treat all of the wastewater that flows into them and to meet discharge limits once treated.

Immediately call The City’s Department of Water and Sewerage at 318-673-7600. Staff will be deployed to investigate, clean, take samples, and work with the state’s Department of Environmental Quality to report and monitor the spill.
You should also take these precautions:

Keep people away from the area of the overflow (typically a manhole). This is especially important for children and pets who may play near the overflow area (e.g., street, public park, or local streams, creeks, and rivers).

Do not go near or touch the overflow. However, if you do happen to come in contact with the sewage overflow, wash your hands thoroughly in warm, soapy water before handling food or touching other persons or surfaces.

Keep grease out of the sewers. Dispose of greasy and fatty foods, such as salad dressings, cooking oil, ice cream and sauces, in your garbage can instead of your sink or garbage disposal. Direct your gutters to send water away from house foundations. Make sure there are strainers over all floors and sink drains in your home. Have the line that connects your house with the public sewer line (called a house lateral or private sewer line) inspected.

Repairing broken private sewer lines, which is the homeowner's responsibility, can keep stormwater from leaking into pipes and prevent sewer backups into your home.