BALTIMORE — "We're not talking about people who flush paper towels or something else and cause a sewage backup of their own families poop; we're talking about other people's poop getting into their basement, and then they have to expose themselves to clean it up," says Alice Volpitta with Bluewater Baltimore.
Each year, DPW announces updates to its plan to reduce the amount of sewage backups happening in Baltimore city.
One problem, outdated pipes and sewage systems.
Fixing them hasn't happened, but DPW says it is constantly working to prevent sewage backups even with those outdated pipes.
“For multiple years, what we’ve been looking at is making sure that we are aggressively doing our preventative maintenance efforts, planning efforts, and really looking at the sewer system, making sure that we’re planning and operating it to the best of its ability," says Richard Luna
Another problem, people aren’t getting the help the city says is available to them.
In June, WMAR discovered over 307 claims filed in the last five years.
Only 18 percent were approved.
This left the majority with no help to clean the mess or money for damages.
“It’s a lot of work that needs to be done and the assistance program. I just want there to be more education around it and more you know, accessibility in terms of people living in the city to get what they need," says Shiv Sharma.
While he says he wishes more people knew about the program, Alice Volpitta says she wishes more people would simply get approved.
“They should be eligible for direct cleanup assistance because it’s just not their fault. unfortunately it seems like the city is pushing back against that state and federal order which means that Baltimore city residents are kind of in limbo, right now," says Alice.
DPW says its are doing all it can.
“Our current programs meet the terms and requirements of the legislation," says Richard Luna.
Sharma says he is just glad to see the city making some progress.
“The cities also invested a ton of money into their system so it is apparent that they are trying to get things you know going." he says.
