STEELTON, Pa. (WHTM) -- A Dauphin County family is dealing with raw sewage in their basement after a backup from last Thursday's storm.
The homeowner blames Steelton Borough. The borough manager says they've told him how to fix this toxic issue.
It's not the first time Vincent Venturo has dealt with this issue. His insurance company says a sewage backup isn't his fault or his responsibility.
Venturo has lived in the same house on South 5th Street for 30 years. In the last ten, "It's probably flooded at least close to 20 times now but this has been the worst, he said. "It's been actual sewage, pieces of toilet paper."
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Venturo is the one left cleaning it up.
"Had family watch the kids while we did it. Had to wear a respirator because with raw sewage there's levels of hydrogen sulfide. And you can't breathe it and it's deadly and it's not good for the kids," Venturo said.
He says the problem is the combined sewer system and drains at the nearby park.
"This runs into my eight inch sewer line. See that pipe in there? That's a either a 14 or 16 each line for storm water, constantly rushing OK?" Venturo said, narrating a video he took.
Steelton Borough's manager says a complete separation of the drainage and sanitary sewer lines in this area would cost about $10 million dollars.
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Last August, the borough did install a restrictor plate on the last drainage inlet at the park and told Venturo to install a backflow valve.
"If you feel the need for it, hire company install it for me. You know, it's not my issue. It's coming from the main line not my line," Venturo said.
He has two sump pumps that can handle 150 gallons of water a minute.
"And it still couldn't keep up with the water coming in the house," Venturo said. "A check valve that can withstand only 10 pounds per square inch, little four inch is not going to hold back that amount of pressure."
Venturo says his neighbors did install backflow valves that are only about $50, but he says they're just Band-Aids to the problem.
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