CHICAGO (CBS) — A CBS 2 viewer contacted us after she got fed up with raw sewage seeping into her Bronzeville home.
But when she tried to fix it, she ran into costly trouble – and she now has a warning for others.
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As CBS 2’s Jermont Terry reported Tuesday night, homeowners in Bronzeville often fear and see the backups from the sewers when it rains. The first call is usually to a plumber – but Ginneh Strickland warned others to call the city first before paying anyone.
Looking at Strickland’s Bronzeville brownstone from the outside, you wouldn’t know she has been dealing with a smelly problem for months.
Strickland: “It was toilet paper, sanitary products – everything was coming into my home.”
Terry: “No question it was sewage.”
Strickland: “No question it was sewage. I had to deal with it immediately.”
With a tenant in the garden unit, Strickland hired a plumber to fix the her problem promptly.
Strickland: “I wouldn’t have any human being living with that smell.”
Terry: “It was that bad?”
Strickland: “It was putrid.”
She replaced her pipes to prevent backup – which involved underground digging in the backyard, and a hefty price tag.
“To the tune of about $6,500,” Strickland said.
But after doing her part, it was determined that the problem was not on her…
