Point Place residents push for sewer fix after Wednesday’s storms
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) — More than 24 hours after Wednesday’s early morning storms, some Point Place residents are still dealing with raw sewage backing up into their homes.
“We woke up to a horrible smell,” Jodi Calkins said. “We thought it was the wastewater treatment plant down the street. Come to find out, it was about 6 inches of raw sewage throughout our entire basement.”
Calkins said her sump pump could not keep up with the flow. She called the city and placed two tickets with Engage Toledo, but the agency closed her tickets and directed her to contact a plumber.
“We called the plumber. The plumber came out and said it’s the city’s issue, not anything on our end,” Calkins said. “So we called the mitigation company. They came out and said the same thing.”
Calkins said she was told the sewer system was overwhelmed and that water would continue entering her basement until the city addressed the issue. She said the flooding destroyed her furnace, washer and dryer.
Her toilet, she said, was gushing about 10 gallons of water every 10 minutes.
Neighbor Mark Cunningham said he experienced the same problem. His plumber also told him the sewer system was overwhelmed.
“The sump pump drained the water out and it just kept coming back out through my downstairs toilet,” Cunningham said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the water had stopped flowing into Cunningham’s basement. He said he now has a temporary pump to remove the remaining water.
After 13 Action News reached out to the city, Toledo city crews arrived on 109th Street. A city spokesperson said the sanitary main is now running properly.
Calkins said she was told to contact a plumber again to resolve her remaining issues.
A city spokesperson also said crews have been working around the clock to respond to service requests, with about 80% of calls resolved as of Thursday afternoon.
Both Calkins and Cunningham said they want the city to do more, calling the problem larger than a single storm.
Here’s the full statement from the City of Toledo:
“Crew members went out to check the sanitary main at xxxx 109th St and it is running properly. They spoke with the resident and gave her the information.
In addition, our crews continue working around the clock to respond to service requests and address system issues across the city. No water mains or city infrastructure were damaged.
All available operations personnel, including construction crews, have been shifted to assist with storm response operations. About 80% of calls have been resolved.
We will continue working through the remaining calls until volumes return to normal levels.
Current status:
• 293 calls in progress
• 30 under investigation
• 245 closed
Residents are asked to report fallen tree limbs, water backups, leaks, or flooding concerns to Engage Toledo at 419-936-2020 or visit our website.”
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