Sewage backup, sewer line break, septic failure, or contaminated water from a sump pump failure, this is a health emergency, not just a property issue. Our IICRC S500-certified crews extract contaminated water, remove biohazardous materials, decontaminate the structure with antimicrobial treatment, and handle your insurance claim end to end. Free on-site assessment, no charge to take the call.
Whatever the source, the response is the same: dispatch the nearest crew, contain the contamination, extract the water, remove and dispose of biohazardous materials, decontaminate the structure, and handle your claim. Here's what we get called out to most.
Toilets, floor drains, tubs, or sinks regurgitating sewage into the home, often during heavy rains or after a clog deep in the line. The water is Category 3 from the moment it leaves the trap, regardless of how it looks. Bacteria, viruses, and parasites are present even when the smell isn't strong yet. Cleanup is not optional and not DIY-safe.
Cracked, collapsed, or root-invaded lateral lines under the slab, in the yard, or in crawlspace. Sewage saturates subflooring, framing, and insulation often before anyone notices, sometimes presenting first as a sewage smell or unexplained mold. Mitigation has to happen alongside the plumbing repair, not after, or the contamination spreads.
Pump fails during a storm or power outage, basement or crawlspace fills with groundwater that's now mixed with whatever was on those surfaces, soil contaminants, pesticides, and often sewage from a backed-up storm system. Treated as Category 3 black water under IICRC S500 unless source-tested otherwise.
Saturated drain field, failed tank, or backup into the house from a septic system that's reached capacity or failed structurally. Often discovered by smell or by sewage surfacing in the yard. Insurance coverage is more limited than for municipal sewer backups, so documented loss assessment matters even more.
When you call, the crew that shows up has one job: contain the contamination, decontaminate the structure, document everything for your insurance carrier, and rebuild what we removed. Sewage cleanup is not water damage cleanup. It runs to a different IICRC standard (S500), uses different PPE, and follows different disposal protocols. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Containment & PPE setup. Before anyone touches the contaminated area, we install plastic containment barriers, set up negative-air pressure, and put crews in full PPE — Tyvek suits, respirators, gloves, and boot covers. This protects the rest of the home from cross-contamination and protects our crew from the bacterial, viral, and parasitic exposure that comes with Category 3 water. This is non-negotiable and not something a general handyman or carpet-cleaner setup can do safely.
Source identification & shutoff. Sewage backups have a source — clogged main, broken lateral, failed pump, septic tank issue. We identify it before extraction so we're not pumping out water that keeps refilling. If the source is plumbing, we coordinate with your plumber. If it's a system failure, we document it for your insurance claim.
Extraction of contaminated water. Submersible pumps for standing water, truck-mounted extractors for saturated carpet and pad, and wet vacuums for residual moisture. All extracted water is treated as biohazardous waste and disposed of per local regulations. The pictured photo shows TWM Water Restoration crew during an active mitigation job with containment in place.
Removal of contaminated porous materials. Per IICRC S500 standards, porous materials in contact with Category 3 black water must be removed and disposed of, not cleaned. That means carpet and pad, drywall (typically up to 2 feet above the contamination line), insulation, particleboard cabinets, and any soft goods. This is the part that often surprises homeowners — and the part that protects them from mold and lingering bacterial issues months later.
Decontamination & antimicrobial treatment. Once contaminated materials are out, hard surfaces — framing, subfloor, concrete, tile — get cleaned, treated with EPA-registered antimicrobials, and dried to industry-standard moisture levels. Daily moisture readings logged and submitted to the adjuster.
Structural drying. Commercial air movers and dehumidifiers run continuously for 3 to 5 days to bring framing, subfloor, and remaining structure back to dry standard. Dry standard isn't a guess — it's measured against the home's unaffected dry baseline with calibrated moisture meters.
Rebuild. Drywall, insulation, paint, trim, flooring, cabinetry, and finishes are completed by an independent reconstruction company. We’ll connect you with one of our trusted partner GCs — or work with whichever rebuild contractor you choose — and hand over our full mitigation documentation so they start with everything they need for the carrier.
Active mitigation job: TWM Water Restoration crew removing contaminated flooring during a Category 3 sewage cleanup, with plastic containment isolating the affected zone from the rest of the home. All porous materials are documented, removed per IICRC S500, and disposed of as biohazardous waste.
The IICRC classifies water by contamination level. Category 1 is clean (broken supply line). Category 2 is grey water (washing machine overflow, dishwasher leak). Category 3 is black water — sewage, septic backups, surface flooding, and any water that has sat long enough to grow harmful bacteria. The cleanup protocol is fundamentally different. Category 3 requires full PPE, mandatory removal of porous materials (carpet, drywall, insulation), antimicrobial decontamination, and biohazard disposal. None of that is a sales upsell — it's the IICRC S500 standard.
Sewage exposure carries E. coli, Hepatitis A, salmonella, giardia, and other pathogens. Children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised family members are at highest risk. Mold colonization on saturated drywall and subflooring begins within 24 to 48 hours, layered on top of the bacterial contamination. The right move at hour 4 is professional remediation. The wrong move is mopping it up, hoping it dries, and dealing with the smell, mold, and health complaints that show up over the following weeks.
If you have sewage in your home, even a small amount, please don't wait. Stay out of the affected area, keep family members and pets away, and call us. We'll dispatch a crew to contain and decontaminate, at no cost to take the call.
A clear path through the chaos. Most sewage cleanup mitigation jobs run 4 to 10 days — that's the phase TWM Water Restoration handles directly. We move as fast as possible, document everything to your insurance carrier's specifications, and hand off cleanly to your reconstruction partner so the rebuild can start without delay.
Same-hour dispatch. Source identified, contamination zone mapped, plastic containment installed, and crew suits up in full PPE before any work begins. Documented loss assessment delivered to your carrier.
Contaminated water extracted and disposed of as biohazardous waste. Porous materials in contact with sewage — carpet, drywall, insulation, particleboard — removed per IICRC S500 and documented for the claim.
Hard surfaces cleaned and treated with EPA-registered antimicrobials. Commercial air movers and dehumidifiers run continuously to bring the structure to dry standard. Daily moisture readings logged for the carrier.
Drywall, insulation, paint, trim, flooring, cabinetry, and finishes are completed by an independent reconstruction company. We’ll introduce you to one of our trusted partner GCs once mitigation is finished, or work with the rebuild contractor of your choice.
Sewage claims are scrutinized harder than most. Was there a sewer backup endorsement on the policy? Did the loss come from a covered event or from gradual deterioration? Were the right materials removed per IICRC S500, or did the contractor cut corners and reuse contaminated drywall? The gap between what your policy covers and what gets approved often comes down to documentation: contamination source, materials removed, antimicrobial treatment records, and Xactimate-formatted estimates. We've worked with State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Travelers, Progressive, and most regional carriers.
Book a Free On-Site AssessmentMost homeowners pay deductible only. We invoice the carrier for the rest, no upfront costs.
The format your adjuster expects, the first time. Industry-standard pricing and scope.
Daily readings, antimicrobial treatment records, and material disposal documentation submitted as carrier-ready support throughout the job.
One project manager from first call to final walkthrough. No handoffs, no chasing.
Three things every TWM Water Restoration sewage cleanup job has in common, no matter the market or the size of the loss.
We don't sub out sewage cleanup work. Every crew on every job is a TWM Water Restoration W-2 employee, trained on our IICRC S500 protocols and our standards. Sewage isn't a category we hand to a 1099 — the health, safety, and liability stakes are too high for anyone but our own people.
Direct billing, Xactimate estimates, decontamination and moisture readings logged daily, and a single project manager on your file from intake to final invoice. We've handled enough sewage claims that we know which documentation a carrier wants before they ask, and which mitigation choices protect the claim from coverage disputes.
Every job runs to IICRC S500 standards, the industry protocol for water and sewage remediation: documented contamination assessment, mandatory removal of porous materials in contact with Category 3 water, EPA-registered antimicrobials, and equipment sized to the affected area. The certifications matter because your carrier knows what they mean. So do public health authorities and the courts, if it ever comes to that.
Three real reviews, every one a verified sewage cleanup job. Names, neighborhoods, and the loss type are real.
"Toilet backed up overnight, sewage flooded the master bath and into the hallway carpet. We had no idea what to do. TWM Water Restoration had a crew at the house within two hours, suited up in PPE, contained the area, extracted everything, and showed us exactly what had to come out and why. Three weeks later you'd never know it happened. They handled the whole insurance claim. Worth every penny of the deductible."
"Sewer line broke under our slab and we didn't know until we smelled it and saw water seeping up through the floor. TWM Water Restoration coordinated with our plumber, removed all the contaminated subfloor and drywall, decontaminated everything, and dried it out. State Farm paid the claim no problem because the documentation was airtight. Took about a month total but it was handled."
"Sump pump died during a bad storm and the basement filled up with what was basically sewage from the storm system. TWM Water Restoration showed up that night, got it pumped out, removed all the contaminated drywall and carpet, treated everything with antimicrobial. Insurance covered all of it minus our deductible. No mold issues since."
Same standards everywhere. Different team in each market, because the person dispatched to your address should know the city, not just the zip code.
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View Oklahoma City Coverage →The questions homeowners ask most often after a sewage backup or contamination event. If yours isn't here, just call.
Sewage is a health emergency, not just a property issue. Every hour of contact spreads contamination further into framing, subfloor, and HVAC. Stay out of the affected area, keep family and pets safe, and call now — we'll dispatch a crew to contain and decontaminate, at no cost to even take the call.
