Bullskin Twp. Homeowners Frustrated As Rain Runoff Deposits Gravel, Dirt On Property

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BULLSKIN TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Some Fayette County homeowners have been left with a huge mess in their yard, and they want PennDOT to clean it up.

Rocks and gravel are piling up and water carved a huge hole several feet deep.

The ugly situation in Bullskin Township began a few years ago when, according to Mark Whittaker, PennDOT began filling the berm and shoulder of Swink Hill Road with gravel and dirt that rain runoff has now deposited on Whittaker's Fayette County property.

"I'm so frustrated. I can't even talk sometimes. It just makes you sick," Whittaker said.

An apparent clogged sewer is not helping matters.

"I'm scared every time it rains," Whittaker said.

Cleaning up the mess is not cheap or easy, and PennDOT says it's not paying for it.

"They said they won't clean it up because it's on private property and they don't do that," Whittaker said. "Over the three years, we've spent thousands of dollars."

Whittaker says all the debris even managed to hurt the family dog.

"Our dog came out at night to go to the bathroom after it all happened, and she hurt her leg and tore her ACL," he said. "She had surgery. She can't walk yet."

Whittaker says that cost him and his wife another $1,500.

"I've called the state two or three times, talked to people there," he said.

State representative Ryan Warner says the situation is absolutely unacceptable because PennDOT has the money and means to fix it. Warner says the situation must and will be dealt with.

Meanwhile, Whittaker and his wife, who are both retired, say they don't have the money to keep cleaning up, and they're not asking for the world.

"I want our road fixed," Whittaker said. "There has to be ways to fix it."

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