Homewood Residents Demand Action Over Backed-Up Sewage And Flooding
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Homewood residents are demanding action from the city and PWSA, saying they've been dealing with backed-up sewage and flooding in their homes for years, but the water utility says they can't fix it because the problem is with a private line.
The residents say the problems started across multiple streets and in multiple homes back in 2017 when the PWSA and Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority repaired a small sinkhole on Fushia Way. They say almost immediately after, their homes started to flood with raw sewage.
"We have incurred loss of items, extra expenses, being put at risk for health risks, putting others at risk for health risks, suffering illnesses, stress and inconvenience," said resident Tanya McClendon-Todd.
The PWSA says it has inspected its sewer main on Race Street several times and found no issues. It issued a statement, saying in part, "while we are sympathetic to their circumstance, we are also in a difficult position where we cannot use ratepayer dollars to perform work on a private sewer lateral."