Multiple homeowners on W. Seventh Avenue in Oshkosh have reported basement flooding, which they say is a result of ongoing construction on their street.
- The City of Oshkosh replaced the sewer, water and storm mains on W. Seventh Avenue this summer.
- Residents report having higher than ever ground water levels, which they say is a result of the city construction.
- The City of Oshkosh says managing high ground water is the homeowner's responsibility.
Lee Faust is responsible for his father's house on W. Seventh Avenue while his father stays in a nursing home.
"My father has lived here for over 60 years, I grew up in this home, and there's a lot of memories," Faust says.
Starting in mid-September, Faust says he began to notice the basement sump pump turning on more often than usual.
A sump pump is used to pump water out of the house to prevent flooding.
The pump only turns on when the ground water is high enough to flood the house– something Faust says rarely happens in his home.
After the city neared the end of replacing the water, sewer and storm main lines on the south side of W. Seventh Avenue, Faust says his sump pump started to turn on every 20 seconds.
“I estimate that sump pump is running thousands of times a day," he says.
Faust also started to notice water leaking in through cracks in the foundation.
On Sept. 19, Faust says he contacted the city over the phone about the issue.
The next day, Faust visited the city's engineering department in person.
"They said they would get back to me, they never did," he says.
On Sept. 23, there was a power outage on the street, which turned off all the sump pumps.
Faust says the outage did not last very long, but there was quickly standing water filling his basement.
The water damage from the power outage and continuous leaking has lowered his property value, according to Faust.
“The pressure that’s being put on this foundation because of the water, eventually this will separate and the mortar will start to come out," he says. "In this condition, now it's unsellable. Nobody would buy this property in this condition.”
Faust isn't the only one on the street experiencing these issues.
Julie Klintworth has lived in her home for 14 years. She says her sump pump has never turned on as much as it has the past few weeks.
"Fourteen years, I've never dealt with any water issues within the basement," she says. "My utility bill has gone up $40 because of the sump pump and the dehumidifier, which also has to go."
Marcia Lakosh is 88 years old and has lived in her Seventh Ave. house for 14 years.
She also says she now has water damage in her basement.
"It is very, very much unfair, that's my position," she says.
Homeowners on Seventh Avenue cannot park on the street and must walk over torn sidewalk to get home. Lakosh says getting to her house can be dangerous.
"If I fall in any of this gravel ruts, any of this that they've caused, I break a hip, and my life is completely compromised after that," she says. "I feel very, very much trapped inside my own house, and it shouldn't have to be that way. I feel very, very frustrated."
Justin Gierach, City of Oshkosh engineering division manager, says while the city is still investigating, the high ground water was an issue already present in the area.
"Strictly when in dealing with sump pumps and sump pumps running, that's a homeowner issue to try to rectify on their own," he says.
Gierach says the homes were built on a riverbed, so it is easy for ground water to increase.
"If we've caused something or we did something wrong, we'll certainly rectify it, but again, at this point, we've checked the sewers, we've checked the water mains for breaks in the area, and haven't found anything," he says. "We've done kind of what we can as a municipality on the work we did."
Faust and his neighbors want an investigation into their homes, and the lines directly in front of their property.
“They've done nothing to get in here and dig up and actually try and figure out what's actually causing this issue," Faust says.
“I think they can do better as a city, and I hope they do step up and they do the right thing by their citizens," Klintworths says.
Many of the homeowners have signed a grievance with the city and plan to speak at the city council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
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