TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Town of Tonawanda homeowner is facing thousands of dollars in cleanup and repairs after repeated sewer backups sent raw sewage into his basement.
Thomas Slocum has lived in the town with his wife, Stephanie, for 14 years. He said their home has experienced multiple backups during periods of measurable rainfall, including one on Aug. 2.
“I was literally standing in a feces fountain,” Slocum said. “There was literal feces and sewage, raw sewage, coming up.”
Slocum said his basement was nearly restored when last week’s historic rainfall caused it to flood again—this time with approximately eight inches of sewage-contaminated water.
“It’s been really hard to live in half your home that you pay for,” Slocum said.
WATCH: Tonawanda homeowner faces costly cleanup after repeated sewer backups
He expects the remediation and plumbing work to cost more than $15,000.
T-Mark Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical is installing a sewer check valve and slice gate between Slocum’s home and the main line. Plumber Gary Pohzel said the equipment is designed to prevent water from flowing from the municipal system back into the home.
Town of Tonawanda Supervisor John Flynn said town crews inspected the sanitary and storm lines near Slocum’s property after the problem was reported.
According to Flynn, a camera inspection found the sanitary line was clear. Crews found minor roots and a broken pipe segment in the storm line, but town officials do not believe those issues caused the backup.
Flynn said the town still plans to remove the roots and broken pipe segment. He added that Slocum can file a formal claim, which will be reviewed through the town’s standard claims process.
The town maintains that the most recent widespread flooding was primarily caused by the extraordinary amount of rain that fell within a short period.
“When you have that much rainfall in that shorter period of time, we can replace every sewer line, every water line in the town, and some people are still going to get flooding,” Flynn said.
Between 60 and 80 roads were barricaded or closed during the storm. Flynn said all of them reopened by the following day, and highway crews are working overtime to collect flood-damaged debris from residents’ curbs.
Flynn acknowledged the town’s aging infrastructure and said millions of dollars have already been invested in sewer upgrades. The town is also working through a 10-year consent order with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to address sanitary sewer overflows and reduce runoff into the Niagara River.
Residents affected by the flooding can find links to state and federal disaster-assistance resources on the Town of Tonawanda’s Facebook page.
