Equipment malfunction floods Lordstown basement with sewage

Staff report

LORDSTOWN

A resident of Palmyra Road has experienced repeated problems with sewage backup into her basement because of a malfunction of a nearby pump station, the most recent time Thursday.

Rex Fee, executive director of the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer’s Office, said the pump station experienced an electrical malfunction that affected a motor and a “mission system” that notifies the sanitary engineer’s office of a problem.

It means that the sanitary engineer’s office didn’t learn of the motor problem until the engineer’s office received a call indicating that the basement of Shannon Weilacher’s home had filled up with raw sewage.

Personnel from the sanitary engineer’s office responded Thursday night and worked on it again Friday, Fee said.

“This is the first time this has happened,” Fee said of this specific malfunction. However, Weilacher’s home has had previous problems with raw sewage — all caused by her home nearest to the pump station, Fee said.

“We’re frustrated,” Fee said of the problem. “I can’t imagine having the amount of sewage she’s had.”

In such situations, homeowners are asked to keep their receipts for cleanup and replacement of damaged items and submit them to the sanitary engineer’s office for reimbursement.

Fee said he has not been made aware of any other customers who were affected by the backup.