$3B sewer project won't stop all that flooding

YOUR SEWER BILL DOUBLED WHEN
THE "METROPOLITAN SEWER
DISTRICT" STARTED UPGRADING
THE COMBINED SEWER SYSTEM.
SYSTEM.BUT, M-S-D SAYS EVEN
áTHAT WON'T PREVENT THE SEWER
BACKUPS EXPERIENCED IN
2-THOUSAND HOMES AND
BUSINESSES LAST AUGUST.
CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
CRAIG CHEATHAM EXAMINES WHAT
IT WOULD IT COST TO KEEP THAT
FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.
IF MSD BUILDS A SYSTEM BIG
ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE HEAVY
RAIN OF A 100 YEAR STORM, ITS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAYS SEWER
BILLS WOULD EQUAL THE PAYMENTS
ON A REALLY NICE CAR, OR
GROCERIES FOR A FAMILY OF
FOUR. THE QUESTION IS: WHAT
ARE RATEPAYERS WILLING TO PAY,
AND IS IT WORTH THE COST?
INCUE 13:56:01 WE DIDN'T
HAVE TIME TO MOVE ANYTHING
Donte and Regina Brooks never
imagined anything....
anything....
00:03 ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT
NOW?...like this.
this.
On August 28th, the National
Weather Service says a massive
storm dumped up to 6 inches
inches of rain in just 4 hours
in the Brooks' neighborhood,
overwhelming the combined
sewer system. That caused
sewer backups in 2,000 homes,
including the one owned by the
Brooks, who say their backup
contaminated nearly everything
in their custom designed
basement.
13:56:41 I'M THINKING OH MY
GOD. OH MY GOD.
GOD.2:42 THERE AIN'T
NOTHING WE CAN DO, MAN. THERE
AIN'T NOTHING WE CAN DO.MSD
ratepayers are spending $3
billion to upgrade the system
under a federal consent
decree, but the sewer district
says it would take an
additional $30 billion to
build the sewer big enough to
prevent the 2,000 sewer
backups. That would take 200
years at current sewer rates,
but just 20 years if sewer
bills increased 1,000%.
14:40:03 ARE YOU READY TO
PAY $6,500 A YEAR FOR YOUR
SEWER BILL? I DON'T THINK THE
ANSWER IS GOING TO YES.MSD
Executive Director Gerald
Checco. (SOT) 14:41:55
RATEPAYERS CAN'T AFFORD IT.
OUR REGION CAN'T AFFORD IT.So,
without spending $30 billion,
what can MSD do to prevent
another August 28? (SOT)
14:55:50 NAT SOUND OF
TYPINGChecco says the sewer
district is looking at the
cost and effectiveness of
installing special valves in
pipes that allow sewage to
flow out, but not backup in
resident's homes. (SOT)
14:43:44 WE HAVE SOME
IDEAS BUT WE'D LIKE TO RUN
THAT BY OTHER PEOPLE BEFORE WE
CAN TALK ABOUT THAT MORE
COMPREHENSIVELY. (SOT)14:10:51
IT WAS A NIGHTMAREThe
Brooks told us it would cost
another $30,000 to restore
their custom basement. MSD
offered them $18,000.
14:05:21 IT'S FRUSTRATING.
WE FELT HELPLESS. WE FELT LIKE
NO ONE WAS GOING TO HELP US.
The I-Team singled out the
Brooks case to MSD because -
based on our investigation -
it appeared the family had not
received a fair offer.(SOT)
14:19:08 WE UNDERSTAND WHY
THEY'RE NOT SATISFIED BECAUSE
THEY'RE IN A SITUATION THAT'S
DREADFUL. After our interview
with Checco, MSD made a much
higher offer, and the Brooks
accepted it. (SOT)14:18:48
WHEN WE COMPARE OUR RESPONSE
TO OTHER ACTS OF GOD
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY I AM
VERY, VERY PROUD OF THE SPEED
IN WHICH WE HAVE RESPONDED TO
A CATOSTROPHIC EVENT. IT
DOESN'T MEAN WE COULDN'T DO
BETTER.(SOT)nats from home
videoFor Donte and Regina
Brooks - better can't come
soon enough. (SOT)nats from
home videoSometimes, when it's
raining - they say the
basement still smells like
sewage, and every time a big
storm arrives, they wonder if
this will happen again.
(SOT)nats from home video
video

$3B sewer project won't stop all that flooding

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