ELKHORN, Wis. — Leland Weingart of Elkhorn said his basement has flooded with clear sewage runoff three times since last summer, including during this weekend's heavy rain.
"I grabbed the remote, turned my TV on for the Packer game, and said, 'Why are my feet wet?'" said Weingart as he recalled Sunday's flood.
Several neighbors on the same block also told TMJ4 their basements routinely flood with sewage and are wondering what the city can do about it.
"There was two inches of water at one point," said Dillon Phillips as he described the sewage backup he experienced in April. "My son and I were sitting on the couch and he ran over and was just looking. I said, 'Oh no.'"
Weingart said his basement also flooded with sewage backup during April's rainstorm.
"It's been a little bit worse every time, but this one has probably been the worst," Weingart said. "The floor rugs absorbed a lot of the water but if not for them, all that water would be going through the walls and under the woodwork."
Weingart and Phillips both believe the problem lies with Elkhorn's sewage infrastructure, so TMJ4 asked Elkhorn city administrator if this is a common issue and what the city is doing to address it.
In a statement, Swann said:
"High rain events are a challenge for the sanitary sewer collection system because they increase peak flows, so Elkhorn has been actively working to reduce inflow & infiltration from groundwater the past 6-7 years by lining the sanitary sewer mains, and Elkhorn is working with WalCoMet to get approval to replace the Nettesheim Lift Station."
-Adam Swann, Elkhorn city administrator
Both Weingart and Phillips hope the city can address any issues soon before another torrential rain comes down.
"We had to redo flooring. All of our doors had to go in the garbage," Phillips said. "It's hard to say if we went to the city as a collective if it would make any difference."
"The fact that there still hasn't been a solution has been concerning," Weingart said.
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