La Habra helps residents clean up mud from clogged storm drain

City workers showed up at a La Habra neighborhood on Thursday to help residents clean up mud that spilled onto four yards after debris from a nearby homeless encampment clogged a nearby drainage pipe.

April Contreras and her neighbors said the trash and furniture from the encampment have clogged the large drainage pipe for years. Their situation worsened after a wall by the pipe broke five years ago, causing rainwater and mud to spill onto their yards. 

"It's a disaster," Contreras said on Tuesday. 

When the neighbors raised their concerns with city officials, the officials directed them to the Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the property. The homeowners claim they've been stuck in a loop with both sides blaming each other. 

"They're basically just finger-pointing," resident Vince Daly said on Tuesday. "We're residents of the city of La Habra. To be honest with you, I don't care who owns the property. I think the city needs to take care of their residents and battle it out with the railroad."

The city of La Habra sent workers with shovels, wheelbarrows and bulldozers to clean up the majority of the muddy mess after CBS LA shared the neighbors' story following Tuesday's storm. 

"It's a shame it had to come to this with my neighbor picking up the phone and calling the news," Daly said on Thursday. "I just don't have the patience to spend another year battling the city and the railroad."

Neighbors said the city and the railroad company continue to disagree on whose property the pipe and the broken wall fall on, leaving the community in limbo for the recurring damage to their homes. 

In the meantime, the city's engineering department told the neighborhood it will continue helping them clean up until a resolution is reached. 

"They're going to clean up my pool," Daly said. "The engineer, he is going to come out and not rest until he figures out a way so this is not going to happen again."

Southern California Edison also responded to concerns about power poles on eroded soil, announcing plans to send crews to inspect and repair the issues.