CINCINNATI — Residents who live along Observatory Avenue in Hyde Park are blaming the failure of a nearby sewer main for flooding that caused thousands of dollars in damage.
Neighbors said the street flooded Friday and Tuesday during storms. They said the manhole cover of a sewer main on the street shot off during the storm, causing water to gush onto the road and into their homes.
Renee Bajorek, who lives across the street from the sewer, said it caused major damage to her basement.
"You feel hopeless when that happens," Bajorek said.
She said her driveway looked more like a river during each storm.
“The reason we flood is because that sewer main pops open and everything gushes into us and our neighbors' homes," Bajorek said.
WATCH: Residents along Observatory Avenue share how a suspected sewer backup led to major flooding on their street
She said she's frustrated because she believes the flooding was preventable.
“Heavy rainfall happens, but this is not a matter of rainfall and overland stuff; this is the public city infrastructure failing, and then, boom, we take the brunt of it," Bajorek said.
Her neighbors next door, Christina Rittenburg and Rob Candiano, agree.
They said they were out of town Friday when flash flooding rocked their home.
“You feel so helpless to be here and have it happen, but to be an 8-hour drive away, it was really just devastating," Rittenburg said.
But Rittenburg, Candiano and Bajorek all know their problems aren't as bad as their neighbor Katie Klaeren.
Klaeren's driveway was ripped apart by stormwater runoff Friday. Her car was also a total loss in the flooding.
Unlike her three neighbors, Klaeren doesn't have a basement, which means floodwater destroyed her home, forcing her to live in an Airbnb.
“It’s going to be unlivable for six months at least," Klaeren said.
Each neighbor said they're frustrated.
They said they feel the Metropolitan Sewer District, which is in charge of the sewer main, is to blame.
“This is public city infrastructure failing and then, boom, we take the brunt of it," Bajorek said.
WCPO reached out to MSD regarding what happened.
A spokesperson for the company said they've received nearly 1,500 reports of suspected sewer backups since Friday.
They said Friday's rainfall was so intense that it exceeded the design capacity of the public sewer system. They added that no modern sewer system is designed to handle a storm of that magnitude.
However, neighbors on Observatory Avenue said they believe MSD should be held responsible. They said they hope MSD will acknowledge the system failed and will work with residents on addressing the issues it caused.
“It’s definitely a problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later," Klaeren said. "It’s not sustainable for people to rebuild, but also to just be so consistently anxious anytime we have any sort of weather event.”
MSD said crews for the company are all hands on deck as they investigate reports of potential sewer backups.
Anyone with reports of sewer backups can report those to MSD 24/7 by calling 513-352-4900 or reporting problems online.
MSD said property owners and tenants who experience a backup of wastewater into buildings from the public sewer may be eligible for assistance under their Sewer Backup Program.
You can visit the MSD SBU Program webpage to learn more about eligibility for our program and other helpful resources.
