MONTGOMERY, WV (WOWK) – Montgomery residents are expressing their concerns over what they say is not only a smelly situation but also a health risk.

“I’m not lying when I say there’s a waterfall in my kitchen,” said Taisa Massey, Montgomery resident. “This is the third day, there’s a waterfall in my kitchen … of raw sewage.”

According to Montgomery Mayor Greg Ingram, the issue, a clogged line, is on a rental property. So, it’s up to the landlord to fix the issue.

“We’re more than willing to try and help them do what we can, but it’s not our responsibility,” said Ingram. “As far as sanitary, we’ve done everything in good faith [that] we can do to help them and we’re just waiting on the landlord to fix his problem.”

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Breaking News

Meanwhile, residents say they’re using buckets to clean out the raw sewage from their bathtubs, but for some, it’s still leaking through their ceiling into the floor below.

“I like to keep my stuff clean but it’s ruined everything,” said Massey. “I’ve lost not only groceries. I don’t have a stove anymore, his doesn’t work. We’ve dealt with stuff it just keeps piling up, piling up.”

Down the road, residents are dealing with a separate raw sewage problem. Ingram said a clogged lateral line resulted in that issue.

After two months of back and forth between the city and the landowner, David Smith, the issue was fixed.

“My sister-in-law went to the basement to look through some storage and found the basement was four inches underwater to find out that it was actually sewage,” Smith said. “It was shooting up from the toilet downstairs, the shower drain and through the laundry drain, which is the lowest point in the house.”

Even though Ingram said officials eventually fixed the clog and installed extra measures to assist if a similar issue happens in the future, Smith said his family was displaced due to the health risk.

“My family was displaced, five guys total in this house, for two months because it was classified as a level three hazard zone,” he said. “The HVAC system was blowing bacteria and what was starting to be mold through the house, making it unlivable.”

Despite the delay, Ingram said the city has done everything they can to help the family, even stepping in to help with the financial burden.

“It just takes time sometimes. This one has went a little longer than we like, but we’re doing everything to make David Smith whole as far as paying all the bills,” he said. “We worked on it in good faith and did all we could do.”

Meanwhile, Smith said they’re still working on cleaning up and renovating the damaged portions of the house before getting settling back into their home.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOWK 13 News.