VILLAGE OF WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Village of Waukesha homeowner whose basement was devastated by flooding is questioning whether it's safe to rebuild after witnessing concerning drainage issues during a recent heavy rainstorm.
Bob Drummond reached out to TMJ4 News because he says he is struggling to get answers from the village about a storm drain's effectiveness.
Bob had around 10 inches of water in his custom-built basement, which he and his wife poured their hearts and time into for their children and grandchildren.
"When we did this when we moved in here in 2017," Bob said. "We put in the bathroom, we have an office and a workout room, and there is a bed that they can sleep in. And then I have three granddaughters."
The emotional toll is evident as Bob choked back tears while talking about the damage.
"You know it is hard. It makes you sick to your stomach," Bob said.
Between what was lost and the cost to rebuild, the price tag is coming in at around $80,000.
Bob and his wife were willing to redo the work they did a decade ago, but in September, during heavy rain, Bob saw something that had him very worried.
"The water was within a few feet of the houses again," Bob said. "The water wasn't going anywhere."
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Drummond has reached out to the county and the Village of Waukesha for answers as to why the storm drain is slow to drain.
"The first email, he said, 'I will reach out and have the city engineer whom we retain call you.' I sent another one. Nothing. The third one, he said, 'the engineer said nothing would handle 9 inches of water,'" Bob said of the village's response.
The county did get back to Bob and to TMJ4, saying that while the storm drain is the village's and not theirs, they suggested having the village inspect it because tree roots could have "grown into the sewer and blocked the flow."
"We are just looking for answers," Bob said. "It is just scary to think of the work that has to go into this, and if it happens again."
The village said it had inspected the sewer and did not find any blockages.
Here is the full statement from the village:
“Our DPW Director completed an inspection after the flood, based on complaints, of the culverts in the subdivision recently where he found all was operating properly and not blocked/damaged.
We have had several residents in the subdivision complain to the Village, one of which you reference in the email I saw he copied you on to us.
The Village is researching the issue, looking at various documents from the time the subdivision was created to determine a few things related to the design, construction, and what was turned over to the Village for maintenance versus what was retained by the subdivision to keep in good working order.”
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