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Persistent sewage overflows frustrated Denham Springs residents, prompting calls for urgent repairs
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DENHAM SPRINGS - It's a community nuisance that one neighborhood in Denham Springs has been reliving for months. Sewage has been spewing from the manhole at odd hours of the day.
That sewer manhole is in the front yards of Amaya Martin and Caragen Battles' homes.
"That's actually how we met our neighbors because of it spewing out at 1 a.m.," Martin said.
Battles says she's made several calls to the wastewater company, Magnolia Water, and can recall eight instances when the sewage has overflowed.
That sewage water has saturated their front yards, back yards, and the street.
"And the pond right over there that people fish in," Battles said.
Residents say the ducks love splashing in the yards, but the people who live in Arbor Walk aren't so appreciative. They want to know what's going on and how their sewage issues will be fixed.
Magnolia Water says that Arbor Walk is served by two lift stations. The company says a pump on one of the lift stations failed. Magnolia Water says that a mechanical failure, combined with the increased flows from heavy rainfall, created conditions that overwhelmed the system.
On Friday, a crew completed the installation of two new, larger pumps to handle waste from Arbor Walk and made electrical upgrades to improve system reliability. Magnolia Water says it's evaluating the other lift station to make sure everything's working properly.
"We just want our yards fixed so our kids can play, it's literally the first week of summer," Martin said.
The neighbors say Magnolia Water placed a sanitizer on the grass, but they worry it's not enough since wastewater has sat stagnant in their backyards for days.
"A fresh breath of pungent soiled ground from other people's feces," Martin said.
They hope Magnolia Water will do more to correct the stench that has overflowed. The company says the sanitizer and deodorizer it uses are designed to eliminate bacteria and control odor. The company says it will continue to monitor the area and work directly with the residents to address their concerns.
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