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Solution sought for sewer backups

Solution sought for sewer backups

Faced with tales of toilets working in reverse, the man in charge of Pittsburgh's sewers agreed last night to study -- and maybe even fix -- the ones that run under parts of Shadyside hard hit in the June 17 floods.

"If [foul water] is coming up through the drain, that's definitely the sewer system, and that has to be addressed," Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Executive Director Michael Kenney told a meeting of the Shadyside Action Coalition that was dominated by flood victims' concerns.

"When I get back [to work today], we will come out and assess Maryland" Avenue, he said, where some of the worst complaints came from.

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Those complaints include one lodged by Carmen and Jon Koteski. In their Maryland Avenue basement, a toilet became a geyser pumping sewage-contaminated water that rose to a depth of 15 inches, causing an estimated $50,000 in damage. Another came from Aldona Zilinskas, who said more than two feet of sewage-tinged water filled her basement, destroying three furnaces, a water heater, a washer and a dryer.

The water authority won't be paying for that damage, said Mr. Kenney. "Unless there's negligence on our side, there's no claim, no liability," he said.

There may, though, finally be a fix.

Mr. Kenney began the meeting characterizing the June 17 rains as a once-in-a-century storm with ramifications no improvements can address. When huge volumes of water hit a sewer system, he said, the pressure can force mixed rain and sewage back through pipes running to homes, and in through drains.

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Maryland Avenue residents, though, said they were getting sewage overflows every year or two. One man -- who asked not to be named for fear his property value would drop -- said he had three feet of sewage in the basement last summer.

That can put a damper on your season. The pregnant Ms. Koteski, for instance, lived with family for the remainder of June and nearly all of July while her house was remediated after lab tests showed fecal coliform contamination in their basement.

"There was no indication of water coming in from the outside," she said. Her basement toilet, and the ceiling above it, suggested a fountain-like flow of pressure-driven water and sewage.

Mr. Kenney said there may be a too-small sewer line or a pinch point, which his agency can find with robotic cameras. He said his agency has traditionally just reacted to problems, but is trying to develop plans for dealing with its portion of the region's multi-billion-dollar sewer problem, driven by a federally imposed 2026 deadline to virtually eliminate sewer overflows into the region's rivers.

City Councilman William Peduto said he will contact the state to try to get help for homeowners facing big flood repair bills.

First Published: August 14, 2009, 4:00 a.m.

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