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Letters to the Editor
Dear Mr. Collins:
I would like to explain a very dangerous situation to you and implore your assistance with a resolution. I live in Lancaster, New York. Lancaster is a fast-growing suburb of Buffalo, New York. My husband and two children moved to Lancaster in 2004. Since our move, we have encountered sewage backing up into our basement when we receive a heavy rainfall. We have made numerous calls to Town Officials and Erie County Officials every time the backup occurs.
Town Officials have denied ever hearing from us and yet, I can give you the names of every official in their offices. Five years later, we have seen no relief from this issue, only excuses.
In speaking with our neighbors, they all are experiencing the same problem. Our street consists of two cul de sacs inclusive of 27 homes all experiencing some level of sewage back up in each home.
During a February Town of Lancaster board meeting, we collectively implored Town Officials to address our situation. They informed us that Erie County was responsible for the maintenance of the sewers. On March 11th, we again collectively addressed the Erie County Sewer board with our problem. Mike Quinn’s (Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Sewage Management) explanation to us was that the entire sewer system throughout the United States is aging and that it simply cannot all be replaced. We were all “treated” to a DVD presentation on that issue.
The Board also suggested that they cannot account for the massive rainfall that we have received from Mother Nature. They further went on to explain to us was that our homes were no longer up to code (what code I do not know) and that we would need to update our homes so that this issue did not continue to happen.
Our homes were built in the early 70’s and apparently were within the sewer codes at that time. Apparently, they changed the codes so that they would not need to update their infrastructure and that we would need to take on the expense. They are suggesting we put in “hung plumbing” at a cost of $7,000-$10,000 per home owner. The hung plumbing system would then allow the lowest point of our plumbing to be the man hole outside our homes thereby the sewage being on our front lawns as opposed to our basements. I find this completely unacceptable as our children and the children of the neighborhood would still be subjected to the disease ridden sewage only on our lawns instead of in our homes. I do not see this as fixing the problem at all.
Erie County Officials and Town Officials continue to deny that we have called numerous times to report the problem. Town Officials continue to allow rapid development in the Town of Lancaster increasing the stress on the already aging sewers in our Town. They continue to deny that our problem comes from the fact of the massive development but rather our homes are aging. This simply makes NO sense to any of us incurring this very potentially hazardous issue.
At this past Monday’s Town of Lancaster Meeting, more homeowners from two other streets in Lancaster expressed that they also are experiencing sewage backups. I believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg and this will soon be a very widespread issue for the residents of Lancaster.
To try to protect our family, we have contacted a plumber and have installed a gate valve ($3,200) that will shut our home off from the sewer system when such backups occur. However, we then cannot utilize water in our homes until the flood levels recede. The most recent back up took 3 days to recede and we were forced to leave our home to be able to shower or simply use the toilet.
In these tough economic times, we are simply struggling to pay our mortgage let alone make improvements because the local governments refuse to fix the issues in our area. I respectfully request some direction on how we and our families can live in peace in our own homes. We live in constant fear every time it rains that our home will be flooded with sewage. There is no peace of mind until this issue is resolved. I eagerly await your reply.
I would like to also let you know that while I am writing this letter from me personally, I have been asked to speak on behalf of our street and other supporters in our area. I can provide a list of all parties affected by this issue upon your request.
Best regards,
Antoinette Addeo
48 Kennedy Court
Lancaster, NY 14086
CC: Anthony Billitier, Erie County Health Department
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