When residents call, a claims inspector will visit their homes and determine whether it’s a sewage backup. Jerry Irvine, a WSSC spokesperson, said every incident is assessed on a case-by-case basis. This caveat has allowed WSSC to deny homeowners’ claims, since sewage backups in Calvert Hills can, upon investigation, be caused by the inadequate infrastructure that runs from the property lines - where WSSC’s responsibility ends - to the homes. In other words, the infrastructure from the property line to the resident’s house is not WSSC’s responsibility, but rather the homeowner’s. Right now, Prince George’s County is responsible for any stormwater management infrastructure, whereas WSSC - which serves as a public utility - is responsible for “maintaining the individual water service from the main to the property line,” according to its website. However, discerning responsibility for water damage means differentiating stormwater management from freshwater or sewage management.
Plague inc flash full#
“I think that they’re not ready to take full accountability for their storm or water management,” Springer said. Last time Springer’s basement had a sewage backup, WSSC paid for the cleanup but not the damage claim, instead deferring responsibility to the county and Springer himself, he said. While this incident wasn’t a sewage issue, Springer said WSSC has actively denied damage claims in the community over the years. If it’s the latter, the homeowner must make a damage claim in order for WSSC to cover any expenses.Ĭalvert Hills resident Aaron Springer, who has lived in College Park for the past 20 years, saw his car drown after rainwater rose to about knee level during the Sept. Normally, when sewage surcharges occur in Prince George’s County, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission will assess whether the backup is the homeowner’s responsibility or WSSC’s responsibility. “And I feel for her because I can’t give her any direction. “She’s actually probably the one who has suffered the most,” Sawyer said. Virtually everything his tenant owned, except for her hanging clothes, was damaged or ruined, and had to sit in plastic bags outside of the home while she stayed in a hotel. Water rose up about calf-deep, causing considerable damage to his furnace, water heater and finished basement walls and trim, Sawyer said. When he received a call from the tenant who rents out his basement, he learned that water from the sewage system was coming up through the downstairs drains. 10 flash flood swept through College Park.
Matt Sawyer, a Calvert Hills resident, wasn’t at home when the Sept. But in a rapidly developing city with aged infrastructure, an increase in impervious surfaces and a lack of bureaucratic accountability, residents are finding themselves in the middle of a drainage problem that has been continually neglected. Located in a floodplain just 69 feet above sea level, College Park has been historically prone to flooding.
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