What began as a well-meaning project soon turned into a nightmare for one unlucky Philadelphia homeowner.
For weeks, Terry Robinson and his family had to deal with disgusting sewage being backed up into his house's water supply. The filth spilled over every time Robinson and his family flushed a toilet, took a shower or turned on a faucet.
The problem began shortly after contractors hired by the city of Philadelphia worked on the sidewalk in front of his home to make it accessible for the handicapped, according to Robinson.
Believing that the source of his problem wasn't inside, Robinson took a pipe and plunged it down into an outside vent. He then used a shop vacuum and sucked out pieces of concrete.
The sewage first began to overflow in his bathroom, spilling across his basement floor. Yet when he tried to fix this problem, things only got worse from there. After capping off the bathroom plumbing, the mess would then move to the laundry sink. Attracted to the stink, flies began to invade his home.
As things grew more out of hand, Robinson contacted the city for help, but to no avail.
"They basically told me, we have nothing to do with it. You are the home owner so it's your problem."
Robinson then called two plumbers who told him that the blockage was clearly a result of the resurfacing of the concrete on the nearby sidewalk. Robinson then spoke to Harry Hairston, of the NBC10 Investigators.
Harry then reached out to the city. The city claimed that they hadn't even looked at the property since they didn't believe Robinson's complaint, taking the contractor's word instead. NBC10 then questioned the actual contractors who stated that there was no way that they could have caused the problem.
Finally, NBC10 spoke with the two plumbing companies who had inspected Robinson's house. According to John Reynolds, owner of Reynolds Plumbing & Heating, there is no doubt that the contractors are the ones to blame.
"Without a doubt, whoever did the work to the sidewalk caused the problem."
The city finally decided to inspect the house on their own after receiving the plumber's reports from the NBC10 Investigators.
Philadelphia's Deputy Mayor's office finally released the following statement:
"After an investigation by the City, we have determined that the contractor is in fact responsible for the problems experienced at ## W Champlost. We're very sorry for the inconvenience caused by this situation. As with anytime a City contractor makes an error, we will work with the resident to repair the damage. The contractor at fault will be paying all City expenses associated with our investigation and the repairs."
Now, city officials are reversing their position. The Chief of Staff of the Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities sent this e-mail saying the city and Street's Department contractors are not responsible for the problem, but will work with the homeowner to pay for the repairs. See their full e-mail below:
"As promised our contractor's plumber was on the scene at ## Champlost Street to repair the condition with two of our inspectors. During excavation, the pipe was found to be buried eight feet beneath the surface, far below a depth that could be effected by sidewalk repair. The soil within about two feet of the trap (the bend in the pipe) was discolored and smelled of sewage, this condition indicates a broken pipe. In addition, the terracotta trap and a few feet of terracotta lateral pipe were settled, broken, and misaligned. I was notified of these results and that the plumber stated that it looked like a preexisting condition. The Water Department was contacted to verify the condition. Further, the Water Department verified that there was not any concrete in the pipe and the trap was blocked with mostly toilet waste and mud. You can see how from a video camera in the dark it may look like concrete, it was that compacted.There were some foreign objects such as a piece of broken terracotta, a piece of metal, and piece of an old soda can. A plumber replaced the trap and broken pipes and the hole was backfilled and plated. After this investigation we do not believe that problems experience at ## Champlost Street are the result of the work done by the Streets Department Contractor. The City will work with the homeowner to pay for the repairs."
