A one-block stretch of Allerton Avenue in Pelham Gardens has turned into a soggy disaster zone after three sewage floods in a single week sent brown, foul-smelling water pouring into basements and racking up thousands of dollars in damage for at least 10 homes.
Neighbors say the repeated backups have wiped out family photos and kids' clothes and transformed their basements into demolition sites. They are now less worried about the next storm forecast and more worried about one basic question: who is going to pay to fix this before it happens again.
Homeowners told News 12 New York that a short but intense burst of rain on Friday morning brought the worst flooding so far on Allerton Avenue between Seymour and Morgan avenues, sending brown water into basements for the third time in a week. "A lot of things went straight to the garbage — the kids' books, baby clothes, some of my baby clothes, a lot of pictures," resident Iris Ramirez said. Neighbor Paulette Johnson said she has already spent about $3,000 on pumping and cleanup. The block is now lined with trash bags full of ruined belongings and a lingering sewage stench, and residents say they want answers, not just mops and fans.
Residents Say City Sewers Were To Blame
After the first backup earlier in the week, several residents brought in a private plumber, who they say traced the problem to the city sewer lines, not their individual pipes. Yet homeowners say city officials told them the problem was on their side of the line. "They said it's not on them. It's on us, and it's our sewage line," Ramirez told News 12 New York. After Friday's flood, crews from the city's Department of Environmental Protection and a contractor returned to take a closer look at the block.
What The City's Rules Require
The city's sewer-management plan explains that Department of Environmental Protection investigators are supposed to determine first whether a backup is tied to a city sewer problem or to a private lateral that serves a specific property. The plan says "DEP deems an SBU 'confirmed' when a backup complaint, upon field investigation, is determined to be associated with a condition in DEP’s sewer system." If a broken city sewer is found, the department is expected to direct an on-call contractor to perform repairs. If the defect is on a private lateral, the property owner is notified and given guidance on what to do next.
The plan also notes that property owners can file a notice of claim if they believe a sewer overflow caused damage to their property, something Pelham Gardens residents may now be looking at closely. The process is detailed in the sewer-management plan available from DEP.
How Homeowners Can Protect Their Property
Residents dealing with damage are advised to report backups to 311, photograph everything, save receipts, and hang on to contractor invoices for any emergency work. The Office of the New York City Comptroller says property owners who believe the City is responsible can file a notice of claim using the Water Damage Claim Form, and warns that notices generally must be filed within 90 days. Details are available from the Office of the New York City Comptroller.
Some owners also opt in to a service-line protection program that the Department of Environmental Protection offers in partnership with American Water Resources, or they install backwater valves to reduce the chances of future basement backups. Those steps are voluntary and come with costs and limits. More information is available from American Water Resources.
For now, the families on this slice of Allerton Avenue say they will keep pressing the city to pinpoint the cause and make repairs before the next storm hits. After a week of sewage-soaked basements, many are out-of-pocket and eyeing the weather forecast with more dread than usual.
