NewsChannel5 Investigators are digging into problems with Cleveland city services. We've found one issue involving a new street and drainage system that is *digging* into the pockets of a man on the west side.
The city just re-paved Triskett Road including the area right in front of Joe Aude's home, but instead of being able to enjoy the street, it's just given him nightmares.
"I'm devastated. I got to be honest with you,” said Aude. “Everything is kind of overwhelming to me."
Aude has lived there for 30 years and told us he's never had a sewer problem until now.
"I'm not a believer in coincidence,” he told us.
The city put in new catch basins in the process of redoing the road, but there were problems with Aude's basin.
"They wound up having to do it twice for some kind of issue. I don't know what."
Aude explained shortly after that second time around, he started getting flooding in his basement. He now has towels on the ground.
"I have to have some kind of a barrier to keep the sewage from going into the finished part of the basement."
Aude told us the city put a camera into the sewer system and said the problem was on his property.
However, Aude has hired two plumbers who told him the pipe problem is right at the curb if not under the street.
So, today Water Pollution Control came back out to dig up the road and get a closer look at the issue. Meanwhile, for the last six months Aude and his son have been putting up with water problems and, now, huge bills from the private plumber's work in his yard. Aude puts the blame on the city for all of this.
"Someone's got to eat the $5,000 that I have invested in a guy coming out here and digging it up to prove that they did it."
Water Pollution Control told us it's trying to figure out the whole situation and that it becomes more complicated with all the work that has been done in that area. They did mention a different department was in charge of the catch basins in question.
Representatives told us they are meeting with Aude's plumber Wednesday and the commissioner went out Tuesday to see what was going on. So far, crews have dug about 8 feet into the ground and have decided to expose the sewer in its investigation. We should hear more details soon.
