FLORISSANT, Mo. – In early November, Missouri experienced record-breaking rainfall, with the City of Florissant battling over 8 inches of rain in 24 hours.
Citizens are dealing with what they say are repeat problems—sewage backups. With the massive number of water-damaged properties stacking up across the area, Florissant Mayor Tim Lowery held a Sewer Backup Support and Resource Fair Tuesday night in attempts to help his constituents.
“When my residents have an issue, that’s my issue, and so really these people are hurting, and we’re a very large city, 52,000 people, but I got a good portion of my city that really are hurting and need resources,” he said.
Impassioned citizens packed City Hall to speak with representatives from the City Engineering Division, Community Development, and the Metropolitan Sewer District Tuesday night.
Hanifah Saalik is a Florissant resident whose property has dealt with massive backup flooding.
“They just would not compensate me; everyone else on my street was compensated except me, so I’ve been frustrated. When this happened again now, like this time, we thought we were coming to a town hall meeting, and that’s not what this is; this is like a sales pitch,” Saalik said.
Residents voiced frustration about miscommunication, alleged gaslighting, and blatant neglect from their provider. MSD was also present to gather feedback and educate the public on their options.
“The sewer system is getting overwhelmed with more water than it was ever designed to handle, and a lot of it because of issues on private property. We do have programs…if the backup was caused by an issue with the public service system or if it was just too much water, but we’re seeing a lot of people who are separated from the sewer system and still have issues. Unfortunately, those are not related to infrastructure, and it becomes a private property issue at that time,” Bess Mccoy, an MSD ProjectClear spokesperson, said.
Florissant’s Sewer Lateral Insurance Program covers repairs from the main sewer line to 5 feet from a home’s foundation, excluding landscaping, decks, and structures. But it applies only to single-family homes and small multi-family units.
Saalik commented, “I just want to make sure that they do the right thing. Florissant needs to do the right thing, and MSD needs to do the right thing by the people that stay in Florissant. We’re gonna get more rain; you know people have to have a place to stay.”
We spoke to multiple citizens who said they are absolutely fed up and some are even ready to file lawsuits, but Mayor Lowery reiterates that this is not a city government issue; these problems allegedly fall under MSD’s umbrella.