(Memphis) Hundreds of gallons of sewage are pouring onto the streets of a northeast Memphis neighborhood.
The Shelby County Health Department said it’s been monitoring the mess since Friday, and issued a citation Wednesday.
The leak started on Weiner Road, and has been flowing down the neighborhood on Lawrence.
“This is ridiculous!” said Wendy Zuniga.
Next door to her home, sewage covers the front yard.
Wendy said the leak started six weeks ago, and since then, she and other neighbors have contacted the Shelby County Health Department numerous times, but nothing was done.
“My neighbors, as well as I, are fed up. The kids can’t come outside and play like they want, because they have the danger of this affecting them,” said Zuniga.
The Shelby County Environmental Health Services said it looked at the leak Friday, March 14, and asked the owner to fix it.
In a statement, the county said “a re-inspection was performed yesterday (March 18), but no work had been initiated. We have prepared a court citation, and the Environmentalist is delivering the court citation and court summons today.”
The county said it’s up to MLGW to turn off the water until the leak is fixed, but the utility company told WREG it can’t turn it off until it gets a court order or the property owner makes a request.
WREG contacted the property owner, Albeca Investment Inc., but have yet to hear back.
In the meantime, the waste pours out every time the renters flush their toilets or turn on their showers or sinks. Zuniga wants to know what it will take to get it fixed.
“Nobody should be forced to live like this,” she said.
The property owner is due in court March 24.
