Family blames sick home on crumbling city sewer system

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Family blames sick home on crumbling city sewer system

Bradford Era - Bradford,PA

By JOHN T. EBERTH, Olean Times Herald 05/27/2007

http://www.bradfordera.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=18392383 & BRD=2725 & PAG=461 & dept_id=562746 & rfi=6

OLEAN - Ann Landries can't talk about her house without crying.

Instead of being a refuge, her home has become a prison she can't

escape. Black mold is growing on the walls and it's affecting her

and her husband's health.

She and her husband Greg bought the two story home on Garden Avenue

in 1998. They liked the house and its location in one of Olean's

older neighborhoods.

They didn't realize a time bomb was buried in the ground out front.

Four times since 2002, sewage from a plugged and rotted city sewer

line has flooded the Landries' basement.

The worst was in May of 2004 when heavy rains backed up a main sewer

line and flooded dozens of East Olean homes with raw sewage,

including the Landries' basement. The sewage comes into their

basement under pressure, forcing its way in.

" It came up through the washing machine and blew the lid right off

the washer, " Mrs. Landries said.

At their own expense they installed backup valves on the sewer

lines. That didn't help - the sewage flooded the ground around their

home and seeped up through cracks in their foundation. Now black

mold is growing on the walls of their home.

" We have mushrooms growing on our baseboards, " Mrs. Landries said.

And now their health has been affected. The Landries were sick most

of the winter and spring, each suffering from respiratory ailments

that required constant doses of antibiotics to fend off.

Mr. Landries said they're thinking about abandoning the house.

" You can't live on antibiotics, " he said. " I can't have our health

jeopardized. The only thing I can do is walk away from the house. "

Scrubbing with bleach and disinfectants has slowed the onslaught but

it hasn't stopped it. Mr. Landries said he believes the flooding in

the basement caused mold to grow in the downstairs air ducts. He

thinks their forced-air heating system has spread mold spores

throughout the building.

Heating and cooling experts have told them they'll have to replace

all the duct work in the house. Mr. Landries said all the drywall

has to be ripped from the house as well. They don't have the

thousands of dollars it will cost to do the work.

They lost their homeowners' insurance because of repeated claims to

replace washers and dryers and to clean the basement. The city of

Olean refused to pay the last $1,800 cleanup bill.

The Landries said they're angry the sewer line hasn't been fixed

even though the city promised to do the work in 2005.

Money for the $1.2 million project was transferred out of the city's

capital fund in 2005 by former Auditor Pachla to pay city

worker salaries and other city expenses. Common Council members

approved legislation earlier this month to borrow $4.3 million to

refund that money and money for other capital projects Mr. Pachla

used to pay salaries and other expenses when the city ran out of

revenue in 2005.

" What appalls me is they had the money to fix this problem and they

stole it and used it for things it wasn't intended for, " Mrs.

Landries said.

The Landries said they're considering suing the city. They don't

feel they have any other choice. Abandoning their home will crush

them financially.

Mayor Carucci has met with the Landries several times and has

been in their home. He said he's sorry the city can't help them.

" There is nothing we can do for them and I feel terrible for them, "

he said. " It's very sad what's happening. "

The mayor said past city administrations didn't take action when

they were warned that 100-year-old sewer lines in East Olean were in

danger of failing. In 1993, Marcus, former Public Works

director, warned former Mayor Ash and the Common Council that a

main East Olean sewer line needed to be replaced. Mr. Marcus was a

proponent of finding and repairing lines in danger of collapse

before they failed. But the project would have cost millions and

nothing was done.

At the urging of Public Works Director Windus, the Common

Council approved a 40-year, $39 million plan in December to repair

all of Olean's sewers. While the council approved of the concept,

they haven't voted to borrow any money yet. The first $10 million

bond for the project could be before the council sometime this year.

Mr. Windus said the sewer line that runs in front of the Landries'

home was inspected in 2005. Tree roots had grown through the pipe,

allowing rain water in and blocking sewage, contributing to the

flooding. The city sent a cutter bit down the line to clear it out.

Mr. Windus said a pickup truck's bed worth of tree roots was cleared

from a one-block section of pipe.

He can't guarantee the work will prevent flooding of their basement

in the future, but it does lessen the possibility.

" I have spoken with Mrs. Landries several times and it is a horrible

situation that they are dealing with, " Mr. Windus said. " In 1993 the

city hired an engineering firm to study the East Olean system and

the consulting firm recommended several alternatives. There are many

issues with the whole system and I won't go into all of the details;

however, none of the recommendations were ever acted upon. "

Mr. Windus said the city needs to begin repairing its aging

infrastructure to avoid problems like those the Landries face every

day.

Mayor Carucci said the city will fix the line, but the earliest it

will go to bid is in December because the state Department of

Environmental Conservation has to sign off on the plan.

" We will get this fixed, " he said.