Latest news with #sewerline
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pueblo basement flooded after sewage leak
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A Pueblo homeowner had his worst nightmares realized, after a crew installing fiber optic in his neighborhood allegedly hit a sewer line, flooding the homeowner's basement with blackwater. 'My house is worth about half what it was a couple of months ago,' homeowner Ken Willard said. Willard said crews were installing a fiber optic line in his neighborhood. In his mind, there was no need for concern. 'I really didn't think much about it, I knew what they were doing, they're doing it all over town,' Willard said. But something changed when Willard said he began to smell sewage from his basement. Then one day, Willard returned from a trip and saw the unimaginable. 'I came down here and there was blackwater,' Willard said. What Willard was seeing was black sewage in his basement bathroom. Willard then called plumbers as soon as possible. Once they arrived, the plumbers told Willard there was a bigger problem. 'They said this is eight feet of water in the sewer and it's not moving,' Willard explained. Willard said he learned the crews working on the fiber optic line had drilled into one of the main sewer lines in his area, causing the flood and forcing Willard and his wife to leave the house for two weeks and live in a hotel. 'My wife was working from a hotel and with rheumatoid arthritis and a chair that's not designed for her, she's had pain ever since,' Willard said. While the house is now livable again, Willard is still cleaning. The restoration company Willard is working with is estimating it will take roughly $27,000 to repair his basement. But Willard is claiming the insurance companies who got involved will not foot the entire bill. 'I've already incurred cost of hotel and food that they refused to pay for,' Willard said. 'I've played $500 for a plumber to come out here and fix their problem that they won't pay for.' Willard has even gone to the companies themselves to figure out what is going on. 'I talked to the owner of Prodigy Excavating who's the one responsible for this,' Willard said. 'He assured me on the phone that he was going to fix it. Now he's been instructed not to talk to me.' FOX21 News reached out to a spokesperson from Prodigy Excavating over the phone on Friday, June 6. They told us the insurance company is still working with Willard. We also reached out to Congruex, who Willard claims were also involved, via email and have not heard back as of this writing. For Willard, the fight is just beginning. 'I just want my basement fixed back,' Willard said. 'I'm not trying to get rich. I'm not trying to ruin anybody.' Willard also believes there were other houses affected by the sewage leak. He added he is looking at potential legal options if the companies do not fully reimburse him for the damages. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
County warns work on Border sewage system could temporarily increase flows, odors
CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), County of San Diego and the county Air Pollution Control District are warning South Bay residents that wastewater flows and odors might increase in the coming days as the next phase of work on a sewer line in Mexico is expected to begin on Tuesday. The second and final phase of work on the connection of the new International Collector sewer line in Mexico will begin on May 13 and could temporarily increase wastewater flows to the U.S., according to the IBWC. The work is expected to take about a week to complete. The sewer line being worked on moves untreated wastewater to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (ITP) in the U.S. and the San Antonio de los Buenos Plant in Mexico. EPA head discusses visit to San Diego on Tijuana River sewage crisis The IBWC says the completion of the sewer line is critical for preventing potential catastrophic failures and increasing the reliability of Tijuana's wastewater infrastructure. If the wastewater flows do increase, it could cause an increase in odors in San Diego's South Bay neighborhoods near the Tijuana River Valley, according to the Air Pollution Control District, and could also increase the pollution levels at South Bay beaches. The US International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) said it has been working with Mexico to mitigate wastewater spills as much as possible and have coordinated bypass lines to pump as much wastewater as possible to the ITP. The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD) monitors odor complaints and hydrogen sulfide levels for communities near the Tijuana River Valley. County launches new interactive map of Tijuana River sewage impacts If the odors continue, SDAPCD says South Bay residents near the Tijuana River Valley can take the following precautions to reduce exposure to the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) odors: Limit outdoor activities if you smell strong odors Keep doors and windows closed to prevent odor from coming indoors. Air out your home or building when odor is not present Use air conditioning if available and/or indoor air purifiers. Filters with activated charcoal are recommended. People with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or other chronic lung conditions should have their rescue medication(s) readily available. If symptoms from strong odor persists, are worrisome, or worsen, seek medical care. Residents in South Bay communities near the Tijuana River Valley impacted by the odors from the sewage flows at the U.S.-Mexico border can apply for a free air purifier part of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District's (SDAPCD) AIRE Program. On Friday, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin took to X following his Earth Day visit to San Diego to say, 'This week, EPA transmitted to Mexico a proposed '100% solution' that would PERMANENTLY END the decades-old crisis of raw sewage flowing in to the U.S. from Mexico. Next, technical groups from both nations will be meeting to work through the details necessary to hopefully reach an urgent agreement.' Tijuana River the second most endangered river in US in 2025 More information on the ongoing pollution in the Tijuana River Valley and South County beach water is available from the SDAPCD, IBWC and the County's dedicated South Region Health Concerns webpage. The County also recently launched an interactive online dashboard and map displaying current environmental conditions in South County including beach water quality and sewage odor data. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
