MDC Reports More Sewer Problems in West Hartford

Six homes in West Hartford are reporting more sewer problems after last night's heavy rain, according to the Metropolitan District Commission. 

The MDC said six homes, including three that were previously impacted by the sewer line break last month on Linbrook Road, experienced a sewer surcharge. 

According to the Commission, a sewer surcharge occurs after a heavy amount of rain falls in a short amount of time.

The large amount of rain water in addition to the excess groundwater seeps into the sewer pipes and overwhelms the capacity of the sewer, causing flows to back up into basements and streets, the M.D.C reports.

It was a nasty wake up call for Terry Conlon.

"It was coming up the basement stairs. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it," he said. 

The sewage backup in his basement got up to three feet high, double what he said flooded his basement one month ago, when a malfunctioning pipe liner in the public sewer line caused several homes in his neighborhood to fill up with dirty water.

A few doors away, a homeowner whose property was marked unsafe by the building department following that event also experienced a repeat flood. She said the water in her basement on Saturday was at least five feet deep. 

"I don't understand why it's still happening and I'm concerned," Conlon added.

In total, six homes experienced back-ups on Saturday. In a statement to NBC Connecticut, a spokesperson said they were not due to another system failure, but instead attributed the problems to Friday night's heavy rains combined with "illegal roof leader and sump pump connections to the sewer" nearby.

Repairs to Conlon's basement paid for by the M.D.C. were well underway, but he believes a new furnace and electrical work they installed were damaged in the second flood.

"We were seeing a lot of positive steps forward, getting things resolved and trying to make us whole again and now all of a sudden, we have this huge setback," he said.

Of the six homes impacted, most had a minimal amount of backup into basement sinks, a spokesperson for the MDC said in an email to NBC Connecticut. 

Homes on Wynwood Drive, Auburn Road, Montclair Drive, North Main Street and Linbrook were impacted. 

The M.D.C. has said previously they plan to hold the contractors who installed that malfunctioning sewer line responsible for the expense of repairing the homes damaged by last month's floods. As for the homes damaged on Saturday, they said they are assessing each individual situation.