Water cleanup continued Tuesday in Douglas County.
In Superior, contracted workers dehumidified four buildings on the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus that suffered basement flooding early Monday.
Water backed up in the basements of Old Main, Erlanson, the Jim Dan Hill Library and Barstowe Hall, UWS spokesman Al Miller said. Barstowe was the least affected, while two offices in Erlanson Hall were out of use Monday because of the water.
"The water was gone by midday yesterday," he said Tuesday.
Elevators in the four buildings also were out of commission Monday and will be brought back online this week as basements are dried. No damage estimate was available.
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A total of 81 calls were made to Superior's environmental services division of public works, engineering manager Steve Roberts said. The majority of problems -- mainly flooded streets and basements -- were north of North 28th Street.
"The central business district appears to be the most hard-hit part of town," Roberts said. He attributed that, in part, to the fact that the area has a combined sewer system instead of separate sanitary and storm sewers. Other areas of Superior that have the combined system are Billings Park and South Superior.
Ted Pellman was among those who discovered water in their basements. The Faxon Avenue resident found 10 inches of it emerging from a manhole. He tried stepping on the cover but the sewage just rerouted into his kitchen sink. He hasn't installed a sewer check valve or sump pump, believing they're not the answer.
"The city refuses to take responsibility to separate the sewer and storm water system," he said, suggesting that's the best solution.
Superior received 2.16 inches of rain by noon Monday, with the first 1.83 inches falling in the first hour of the storm, Roberts said. The three hours of intense rain inundated the city's water treatment system, which is "essentially catching up at this point," he said.
In the county, Highway Department crews were seen working along County Highway S on Tuesday. Barrels marked spots where water had left gullies beside the new highway and, at one spot, a gouge under the pavement. Calls to the department were not returned.
