Whitefish Bay residents concerned over sewer lateral cost



WHITEFISH BAY (WITI) -- Flooding devastated several neighborhoods in Whitefish Bay three years ago. It shines a light on big problems with the village's sewers. Now, officials and residents alike are learning about how portions of the problem will be fixed.

One of the biggest issues facing the community are with lateral sewers; those that connect homes with the sanitary sewer system. When officials took a closer look, they found tree roots growing through the clay in the pipes. There were also lots of cracks and clumps.

Now, leaders in Whitefish Bay are asking more than 300 homeowners to foot the bill and fix the issue.

Chad Wendt is one of the affected homeowners. He is being asked to pay more than $5,000. The husband and father of two says it is too much.

"I'm back in school, I'm a college student, so I'm not working right now and the cost is substantial," said Wendt.


Village officials say the repairs have been properly studied. They say residents will have ten years to pay for the repairs. The work is expected to started in August and last through part of next year.