Sewage floods Jeannette street
A smelly situation is unfolding in Jeannette, where some residents say raw sewage has been flooding down their street for at least a week.
"We noticed down the street, sewage coming out into the straight street, like five feet up into the air, muddy looking water," Brittany Mowry said. "I thought it was mud. My boyfriend said, 'No, that's sewage.' Pretty gross."
Neighbor gets the run around
Mowry said she reported the issue on Scott Avenue/N. Ninth Street to the city of Jeannette, Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, Department of Environmental Protection and Jeannette City School District, but has gotten the run around.
"We called the city originally and they said, 'No, that's a municipal authority issue, so contact them.' So it was a lot of back and forth. We called the municipal authority, they said, 'No, that should go through the city. Talk to the city manager,'" Mowry said.
She said not only does it smell, but she now has concerns for her children, who wait for the bus right where the sewage is puddling up.
"It's a health hazard and a safety hazard for not only the kids but all the residents in the area," Mowry said. "It's really big, deep puddle and the bus stops right there on the corner, and the kids get off right in it."
Crews come out to make repairs
KDKA-TV reached out to the MAWC and City of Jeannette Wednesday morning. By noon, crews with the municipal authority were on Scott Avenue making repairs.
One worker on site told KDKA-TV that they were just informed Wednesday morning of the mess.
A spokesperson with the MAWC later told KDKA-TV that a customer-owned lateral is backing up, causing the sewage to go from that customer's home to the street.
"We are going to dig up around our main, but there has been an issue here in the past. Customers own the laterals which bring sewage from the structure to the street. In the past, the customer has not acted to clear the debris from their line. Still, we are digging it up today, and will discuss with the customer if the debris is still in their line, and it will be up to them to fix it," said Matthew Junker, a MAWC spokesperson.
Junker said if the debris is in that customer's line and they refuse to fix the issue, it will be up to the city to enforce their code.
KDKA-TV reached out to the Jeannette code enforcement officer, who said to call the city manager.
KDKA-TV asked Junker why it took until Wednesday for repairs to be made. He said the first call record they had for the issue was Tuesday.
"I'm very happy to see something's being done about it," Mowry said.
KDKA-TV also reached out to the Jeannette City School District to learn if the bus stop would be temporarily moved to protect students who catch the bus at that intersection. The superintendent said, "The bus stop will be temporarily relocated to Scott Ave/North 8th Street until repairs are completed."
