Residents complain of recurring sewer backups; mayor says lining and cleanup work underway

Several Wilkes-Barre residents told City Council at its Aug. 14 meeting that recurring sewer backups and stormwater overflows have damaged homes and vehicles and posed chronic public-health and access problems.

At the meeting a resident identified as Jason described repeated sewer failures on Hilton Street and nearby blocks, calling the situation “an absolute disgrace, complete mismanagement.” He said private property insurance has been canceled in some locations because of ongoing subsidence and sewer risk, and that sidewalks and telephone poles were damaged.

Mayor George Brown responded that city crews, the sanitary authority and contractors have been working for weeks to clean debris, scope lines with cameras and perform temporary repairs. Brown told council the city had ordered parts for a permanent lining of the affected sewer run and that $600,000 is allocated to reline the system from manhole to manhole once immediate cleanup is complete. He said crews were roughly a week and a half from completing current repairs before recent rain slowed work.

Brown described the lining method to the council: crews will place an ultraviolet-cured interior liner inside the pipe that hardens to form a new interior coating. He said that the work requires coordination with other utilities and that gas and water companies will make their own repairs after the city’s work is finished.

Speakers pressed the mayor on why the issue persisted despite prior knowledge. Jason and other commenters said some problems dated back years and accused city officials of not using sewer fees exclusively for sewer maintenance. The mayor and staff said scoping and cleaning took longer after crews found hundreds of tons of residue in the line, and that repairs were underway with sanitary authority participation.

City staff and the mayor said the post-storm surge of debris has repeatedly set back progress and that some work will require coordination with PennDOT where roads are state-owned. Residents asked whether the city had declared any emergency or sought outside assistance; Brown did not say the city had declared a state of emergency but described multi-agency coordination and ongoing contractor work.

Why it matters: residents described recurring property damage, canceled insurance and disrupted daily life. City officials described a defined repair plan—camera scoping, cleaning, then lining—but said weather and utility coordination have delayed completion.

Ending: City officials told residents they would continue outreach to affected households and attempt to finish the immediate repairs before coordinating utility follow-up and final paving. Several residents asked for follow-up and said they will supply documentation of damage to the city for review.