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Homeowners welcomed home to sewage surprise soaking their floors

5 years 8 months 2 weeks ago Friday, March 22 2019 Mar 22, 2019 March 22, 2019 10:47 PM March 22, 2019 in News
Source: WBRZ

UPDATE: After the 2 On Your Side story aired Friday, property owners say Ascension Wastewater Treatment visited their homes to better assess the situation.

AWT says it completed its field investigation and is working with the property owners to fix the problem.

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PRAIRIEVILLE - Imagine coming home to a house full of sewage that's spilled over toilet bowls and bathtubs, soaking into carpets and wood floors, and creeping up the walls. It's what happened to three homeowners in Henderson Bayou Estates Sunday afternoon.

"I mean, it was everywhere," Kaci Blalock said. "The tile was completely brown, it was covered. The toilets looked like they exploded!"

Earlier that day, Ascension Wastewater Treatment worked on Blalock's street to clear a clog in the main sewer line. Soon after, three homeowners who all live right next door to each other reported sewage overflowing into their homes. It damaged or destroyed personal property and two of the homeowners had to rip up the majority of their flooring after it sat soaked in sewage for hours.

"I'm more heartbroken over my wood floors than anything," Blalock said.

At first, the homeowners thought they would receive help from the sewer company. But now they say the communication has been like pulling teeth, and they feel like they're being blown off.

"You know, a little sympathy, how about a phone call?" Blalock said. "I want them to fix my house and put it back the way it was."

At least two of the residents say they have homeowner's insurance, but their policies will only cover a small portion of what's been damaged. One of them reports having more than $40,000 worth of damage to their home.

Legal representation for Ascension Wastewater Treatment says it doubts "very, very seriously what they did caused a problem" in the homes. The company says there can be a defect in the customer's line that creates built-up pressure that's released when there's a change in the main line. The company says it's doing an investigation and has filed a claim with its insurance company. It also says it's "remorseful."

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