Residents say repeated sewage backups left homes damaged; council pledges follow-up

Residents from the Frontier and Mill Creek neighborhoods told Erie City Council on Wednesday that repeated heavy rains have caused raw-sewage backups that flooded basements, destroyed appliances and left households with large cleanup bills and insurance disputes.

Kenneth Bounds, who said he lives in the Frontier district, urged council to find a permanent solution and described prior failed repairs. "I've been affected by heavy rainfall in 2017, in 2025, and in 2026," Bounds said in public comment, calling for engineered corrections and enforcement. Quinn Thompson and other neighbors described multiple backups in a short span: "The simple solution, like I said, is the elbows," Thompson said, urging the city to require residents to redirect downspouts away from sanitary lines.

Elizabeth Paper described two feet of raw sewage in her home during a prior event, cleanup costs of roughly $11,000 and denied or exhausted insurance coverage. Kevin Scully said his cleanup cost about $13,500, and he estimated total damages for his property at roughly $25,000. Speakers warned that inability to secure insurance or repeated losses could force residents to pursue illegal pumping solutions that would create environmental hazards.

Council President Titus pledged a prompt follow-up. "I will meet with our director of public works tomorrow and we will have a conversation and be back in touch with you with some answers," Titus told commenters during the meeting.

What residents asked for: engineering study of the storm-sewer system, enforcement or assistance to redirect roof downspouts away from sanitary connections, clearer claims and assistance processes, and a timeline for remediation and funding support where the city can act. City staff agreed to set a meeting with affected residents and public-works officials for immediate next steps.

The transcript of the public comments shows repeated appeals to reconfigure private downspouts, to consider the role of nearby township inflows and to develop a coordinated mitigation plan that may include enforcement or assistance programs.