LEWISTON, N.Y. (WKBW) — Some residents in the Town of Lewiston are upset because they say their basements have been flooding with sewage.
They want the town to fix the problem.
Town leaders tell me they are taking a closer look to see what needs to be done. In the meantime, they are asking homeowners to protect their property.
Beth Anne Alias said flooding occurred at her home several times, most recently in June.
"They came in. They disinfected everything, cut out walls because the water, sewage just soaked up," she explained.
Alias said she walked to numerous houses on her street and spoke to multiple others who had sewage in their home.
She and her neighbors said it's been a problem for decades and they want the town to fix it. They believe the sewage system is to blame.
I spoke with Jeff Ritter, Administrator at the Town of Lewiston Water Pollution Control Center. He said they are looking into this.
"There's a certain area around the town that seems to be a low point and the drainage is really bad," said Ritter. "We have an inflow and infiltration problem of groundwater. Rain water getting into the sewer system. The drainage systems are just not capable right now and I'm not sure if they need to be cleaned or rejuvenated."
Ritter said as they work to identify the problem, he advises homeowners to have a backwater valve installed to hopefully prevent more sewage from flooding their homes.
"The town is still working out the details but we want to give $2,000 to a homeowner to install. If this is a continuing thing you have to call a plumber and find out what you can do," said Ritter.
I went to J.R. Swanson Plumbing to get some answers for homeowners myself. Stephen Welling, the Plumbing Service Manager, said while he doesn't know for sure what the problem is in Lewiston, it could be cracks in the pipes. Swanson said backups in sewer lines often happen because of roots growing through cracked pipes.
He also recommended homeowners install a backwater valve to protect their property.
When asked how much it costs to install the valve he answered, "You could be talking anywhere from maybe $3,000 or maybe $5,000 depending on where it's got to go."
Alias said she's not going to stop advocating for her family and her neighbors until the problem is fixed. She said right now they feel vulnerable and they can't use their basements because they're afraid.
