09-05-2025
Repair costs grow for Waldo homeowner's failed sewer line
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One homeowner in Kansas City's Waldo neighborhood hasn't been able to live in their home comfortably for weeks.
'It's been four weeks, we haven't had a bathroom,' Audrey Thrasher shared.
'It's a complete sewer backup.'She's lived in the Waldo neighborhood since 2018.
'We don't want to move, we love this area, but when you think about the infrastructure and the burden being put on homeowners, it gets a little frustrating.'
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Over the last few weeks, her time has been spent contacting a plumber, the city, and various contractors.'We opened our basement door and there was two inches of water in it. Our home is old enough that our sump pump is grandfathered into the sewer line, so when it was raining that hard, the rain water backed up into our basement,' she said after a heavy Easter weekend rain.
Thrasher claims a new ordinance is putting this work, and its related costs, on her.'Prior to August 2024, the city would have taken care of this. My neighbor, one street over, got assistance from the city in August of 2023,' she shared.
Thrasher says an ordinance was enacted in 2022, but wasn't enforced until August of 2024.
The City of Kansas City, Missouri, shared that, 'In 2022, the Kansas City Council revised the language in Ordinances 60-348 and 60-536 to improve clarity. These updates did not change the existing policy that the property owner is responsible for the repair and maintenance of sewer service laterals. The Code Sections went through the required public notice procedures.''$20,000 to address and have our line repaired from our house and address our sump pump, on top of the $25,000 for the street repair,' Thrasher continued.
Her street was paved within the last five years, and she'd be responsible for repaving a good stretch of it after the work on her sewer line is finished. She was told that estimate would be around $10,000. That hasn't been exactly accurate, however.'So now we are at 55,000.'
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The City also says excavation of pavement less than five years old requires resurfacing to ensure long-term pavement quality.
'This policy is in place because smaller, limited repairs often fail to maintain proper backfill and compaction, leading to issues such as potholes and sinkholes. Currently, a waiver process allows the Director of Public Works to approve exceptions to this requirement. Public Works staff is reviewing policy options to reduce the resurfacing requirements for utility repairs affecting private single-family residences.''I want to know why they changed this ordinance, where is this money going, and why can't they still provide some assistance to make this more affordable and less of a burden on homeowners?'
Both council offices representing District 6 are looking into Thrasher's situation.
FOX4 was told City staff are set to contact Thrasher Thursday to discuss options, including the possibility of waiving fees for street repairs.
If you or someone you know is experiencing something similar, you can contact KC Water at (816) 513-0187.
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