Tenants upset by sewage backup in basement

WILKES-BARRE -- Tenants living at an apartment complex on Terrace Street are disgusted that their health is put at risk.

For the second time in a year tenants are living with a stench of raw sewage, which has backed up into the building’s basement, Wilkes-Barre Health Inspector Joe Rodano confirmed. The first sewage backup occurred last fall.

“You could smell the odor before getting to the basement,” he said after inspecting the property around noon Thursday.

Residents living in apartments at 22 Terrace St. and 155 W. River St. share a joint basement where the storage and laundry center are located.

Rodano posted a notice to vacate the buildings at the entrance of the two properties to follow proper city procedures because of the sewage that he said had formed puddles in certain spots. He said about 40 units were affected.

Since the properties are an apartment complex, Rodano can’t force anyone to leave the property. He said that if he lived there he wouldn’t go into the basement.

One tenant of the Terrace Street complex, Leonard Piazza, said the most recent problems began mid-day Tuesday after the heavy rainstorms hit the Wilkes-Barre area.

Piazza, who is Luzerne County Election Bureau director, said the stench is now making its way through both of the buildings.

He called the city’s health department on Thursday to inspect the property after his landlord had not started working to fix the problem.

“When the basement goes awash in human waste, you have to clean it up immediately. He’s putting people’s lives and health at risk. Abatement should have occurred at the same day. People shouldn’t have to call upon the city health inspectors,” Piazza said.

Compliance director Alex Brunelle of Dunmore Exclusive LLC insisted he didn’t know about the sewage backup problem on Tuesday. He said he felt his company was handling things appropriately.

“It isn’t even 24 hours old. I think we are really on top of things,” Brunelle said. “We take an initiative to make sure things are nice and well-maintained on the properties.”

Piazza is worried about his and fellow tenants’ health. He said anyone walking in the basement easily can transport dangerous bacteria and spores from the sewage into the rest of the building’s carpeted common area.

Rodano contacted Brunelle on Thursday afternoon to inform him a professional company would have to clean and bleach the basement and another company would need to steam clean the carpets in the building’s common areas and hallways.