Flooded St. Louis Park residents left frustrated after 2nd water main break in 2 weeks
ST. LOUIS PARK -- More than a dozen homeowners near the intersection of Minnetonka Boulevard and Texas Ave South say they're both frustrated and exhausted after their homes were flooded by the second water break in two weeks.
Homeowners say they heard the water flooding their basements shortly after 11:30 p.m. Friday. Some homeowners say they had six inches of standing water before the problem was addressed.
This comes exactly two weeks after more than 50 people's homes were flooded when more than one million gallons of water poured from a main near a construction project.
City of St. Louis Park officials still have yet to identify a cause of the first break on May 21 but say they're confident the nearby construction project did not play a part in the break.
"At this point, I don't even know really how to express the level of frustration," said Dimi Lalos, whose home on Minnetonka and Rhode Island Avenue was destroyed for a second time. "It's almost there's nothing to say to them almost, it's just a feeling of frustration and that's all we can express."
Lalos says his family was the first to call the city's non-emergency line when the flooding started on May 21. He says despite multiple calls, his family was told the water flooding their basement was coming from within their own house. When other neighbors called to report flooding, he says city officials then discovered the main break.
Lalos' home, which his family had moved into less than a month prior, was filled with more than a foot of standing water. His washer and dryer, furnace and sump pump were all destroyed, along with family items he say can't be replaced. In all, he says his family is looking at over $100,000 in damages and repairs - and that was before their basement flooded again.
"I feel like (the city is) frustrated at this point as well, but it's our lives that have been upended for three weeks," he said.
"When I asked (the city), they're like 'I'm so sorry that this happened,'" said Rosa Sala-Healey, whose home along Minnetonka Boulevard was flooded for a second time. "I need more than 'I'm so sorry,' I need action. I need action. I need a plan. I need them to make sure this is a final long-term solution."
A St. Louis Park city website says the city verified the quality of the repair made to the main through an independent company but declined to answer further questions on Saturday.
The city says it has plans to potentially reimburse affected households through an emergency reimbursement fund. Details and conditions about the potential reimbursement can be found on the city's website here. Some residents say the plans for reimbursement are unclear. Both Lalos and Sala-Healey say they're concerned the main will break once more.
St. Louis Park officials are expected to address concerns during Monday's city council meeting and have plans to hold a neighborhood meeting the following Wednesday.