Solvay (WSYR-TV) -- Homeowners in Solvay who have been dealing with flooding due to what they say is a broken sewer won’t be getting any help from the village.
NewsChannel 9 spoke to the village attorney on Wednesday and according to him, spring water is to blame and the village is in no way responsible.
On Tuesday, we spoke to a few homeowners who wanted to know why the village had stopped pumping water from a broken sewer into the street and away from their homes.
The Richardsons say they haven’t had a dry backyard since Christmas.
“We're going to lose our home and nobody wants to help us,” Kim Richardson told NewsChannel 9.
The Richardsons say the sewer pipe is broken, and the Village of Solvay Highway Department came to pump the water out of their yard for months as they tried to figure out a permanent solution. But the village stopped coming in mid-March, and took away the pumps.
“They said that because our insurance company is subrogating to get the money back they paid for our claim. They were told not to come over here, they couldn't come on our property and they couldn't speak to any of us,” Kim explained.
So the homeowners have been left to fend for themselves.
“If they were going to abandon that, they should at least give notice to the homeowners. I was away two weeks ago when all the water came again. I had no idea they wouldn't be there pumping. I have no idea why they're not here now,” said Pat Delperuto, whose basement is flooded.
The families are worried about the standing water as a breeding ground for mosquitoes in the summer and they're sick of fixing their damaged property.
“It flooded our family room and our basement. It destroyed out washer, our dryer, we had the furnace guy come, walls in the family room have to be rebuilt, floors have to be taken out and every time it rains, you fear you're going to get flooded out again,” Kim said
Until the village fixes the sewer, they'll continue to run sump pumps and pray for dryer days.
The Solvay Village Mayor and the Highway Superintendent were not available Tuesday for comment.
