Heavy rain has overrun the sewer system in a southwest Kansas town and officials there have asked residents to use toilets as little as possible.

More than five inches of rain late Tuesday caused the Sublette sewer system to fail, sending sewage backup into homes through the night.

City and county crews are pumping the excess water out of the sewer system as fast as possible, but are now turning to nearby counties for more help.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued a statement Wednesday urging Sublette residents to curtail water usage and use toilets as little as possible. The statement said sewers will remain shut down until further notice.

The National Weather Service reported that heavy rains in Haskell County just north of Sublette created a ``tremendous amount of runoff,'' causing the sewer failure.