January 8, 2018
City workers fix blocked line but home owner disputes claim that problem is hers
LOUISA, Ky. — A resident of one of Lawrence County’s newest and most expensive neighborhoods is asking for answers as to why sewage is backing up from the city sewer system into her home.
Nicole Wells, who said she and her family purchased a home in the Levisa Drive subdivision in 2015 said she enjoys living here — most of the time.
Here’s her story:
“…We moved here in January of 2015 at the end of Levisa Drive. In the summers we generally have a sewage backup a few times but this is the first winter we have had continuous problems for 3 weeks straight.
The week of Christmas the opposite side of the road from our house was leaking sewage and came to our side. We called and they came out and fixed the pump. The next week the pipe in the picture exploded and popped off the cap causing poop to go flying everywhere. They (city officials) say it is something wrong with the pump but if they know there is a problem, it isn’t getting fixed.
Then today when we flushed in the house it started backing up into our house until the cap came off.
The mayor is aware that we have pump issues on the road and has been contacted multiple times.
Some people on the street have the exact problems as we do and the city is saying it is the home builder’s fault, but the problem is the city sewer if it is happening to multiple houses on this street — and then even admitting the pump has something to do with it.
It constantly backs up on the road. This is the first time it has come into our house. Every time we flush it overflows in the front yard now.
We all just want a solution on Levisa Drive. I don’t want to cause problems but I feel like standing raw sewage even in freezing temps should have a high priority.
Mayor says city not to blame…
Despite Mrs. Wells’ statement to the contrary, Louisa mayor Harold Slone said today that he was not aware of the ongoing problem and issued the following statement:
“…Not aware of any issue except pump going down a week or so ago and it was replaced. And then another problem at an individual residence sewer backup and we have scheduled some testing to be done to determine if it is a problem with our line (or the homeowner’s) before digging up blacktop.
“…I was not aware of any other problems. I will check back through the work order system and see what I find and make contact with the guys now (today). They (city water workers) have been covered up the last two weeks but still I wasn’t aware of consistent ongoing problems.”
After Slone checked with Mrs. Wells today about 5:00pm, he sent city water workers to her home and it was discovered that it was indeed a problem with her private line, Slone said.
“The guys figured it out pretty quickly because they had already been aware of the flooding,” Slone said. “We went ahead and helped her with it because we have the equipment to do it with.”
Slone said the stopped up sewer line is now working properly and that the city sewer line is working like it is supposed to also. “She (Mrs. Wells) was very nice about it and when she understood what had happened, she thanked us,” Slone said at 6:30 pm today.
But Mrs. Wells says she still thinks the city is at fault, not her.
“…There is no proof it is our line. When they cleaned it out today there were baby wipes which we do not flush and cigarette butts. We do not smoke. The mayor’s call today was a bit on the rude side. It has been happening for many months mostly on the line opposite the street of ours where there is no house and now on our side. The last time it came out of the clean out on our side the sewer water was flowing out of the manhole and other clean outs a few hundred feet upstream from us and was on the verge of doing the same today. If the clog was on our line the main line should not be backed up. It’s ok for now though and it will happen again and everything will be documented so we can get to the bottom of this ongoing issue.”
“There is no proof it is our house causing the problems,” she added. “Someone is just covering their own butt on this one.”
Homes in the neighborhood beside the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy are high dollar properties and residents pay top dollar city taxes.
Slone said the city has had numerous water leaks and frozen pipes as well as sewer problems since the historic cold spell hit the area almost a month ago. Many of the water and sewer lines in Louisa are nearly 100 years old and the problems are only going to get worse until a complete new system can be installed.