The family bought the house, a new construction, in October. Just a month later they started having problems with their sewer.OKLAHOMA CITY -
One metro
homeowner is dealing with a stinky situation after he discovered a city sewer
main break in his backyard. And the issue just gets murkier as the city
and the contractor fight out who's going to pay to fix it.
The family bought
the house, a new construction, in October. Just a month later they started
having problems with their sewer.
"The sewage from
inside the house doesn't leave like it's supposed to," explains homeowner David
Anderson.
After their builder,
Brookshire Homes paid a plumber to come out and clean the line three times. Anderson
noticed a sink hole forming in his backyard. Brookshire dug down and found a
big break in the City Sewer Main.
Now, David
Brookshire says Oklahoma City Utilities blames him for the break and after they
fix it, they are sending him the bill.
"I still can't
figure this out. It's not my pipe, not my problem," said Brookshire. "But
I'm a builder. It's already cost me several thousand dollars to do this. Now
they're going to send me another bill? That's not right."
Brookshire says
when they built the home they tied into the sewer main five feet from the
surface. And never even dug down the 10 feet where the main is broken. But
Allen McDonald with Oklahoma City Utilities says someone clearly broke the
line. It's only four years old.
"Part of the line
is just gone. That doesn't just happen unless somebody hits it or tears into it
or something," said McDonald.
McDonald says the
city will likely try to recoup their costs, after they fix the main and get the
Anderson household back in service.
"It is time for
this to get fixed. I have dishes to do, laundry to get done, my little
girl needs a bath," said Anderson.
