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Cherry Hurst residents demand action after repeated sewage backups; city cites equipment failure and promises meeting
Summary
Multiple Cherry Hurst and Cherry Crest residents told Troy City Council they suffered sewage basement backups on April 15, 2026 — many said more than 70% of homes were affected — and requested permanent fixes and timely claim resolution; city staff acknowledged an equipment failure that slowed pumping and pledged follow-up and a meeting with residents and legal staff.
Dozens of Troy residents described repeated sewage backups to the city council on April 27, focusing on a April 15, 2026 event that Cherry Hurst speakers said flooded the basements of "over 70%" of homes in the subdivision and caused remediation costs in the thousands of dollars.
"We deserve and demand a robust, permanent solution to our failing infrastructure and the full approval of our forthcoming 2026 claims," said Ryan Paul, a Cherry Hurst resident, during the public-comment period. Paul and others said the neighborhood previously experienced a major sewer event in August 2019 and that the April 15 backup occurred during a much smaller rainfall than in 2019.
Multiple residents gave similar accounts: Linda Burris said the city's monitoring showed critical levels by 2:00 a.m. but that pumping did not begin until 6:15 a.m.; Brian Corbett described his basement as "totaled" and said remediation required professional crews in protective suits; Philip Brown said his remediation costs currently exceed $13,000.
City Manager Frank Anastasi introduced Public Works Director Kurt Bovensiep to respond. Bovensiep told council the city had staff at watch points and monitoring in place but that an "equipment failure" delayed the start of pumping during the April 15 event. "We did have an equipment failure that that did delay our response time to pumping," he said, and added the city has been studying infiltration and inflow (I&I) and is pursuing sewer capacity improvements on Rochester Road that are not yet complete.
Bovensiep described two broad approaches: reduce I&I by locating and eliminating unauthorized connections and increase conveyance capacity where practical. He said some larger upgrades require coordination with county sewer districts: "we don't process our own sewage here. So, it's a lot of coordination." On communication practices, he acknowledged the city does not routinely go door-to-door during events and said the 2019 door-to-door outreach was not the city's normal practice.
Councilmembers pressed staff for a timeline on claim decisions; Assistant City Attorney Nikki McMillan and staff explained that claim submissions are forwarded to the city's insurer (MMRMA) for review under governmental-immunity processes, and that there is not a firm public timeline for resolution. Mayor Baker and the city manager committed to scheduling a meeting with affected residents, city staff and legal counsel to review the incident, the claims process and potential remedies.
What happens next: Councilmembers said they will meet with staff and residents and consider prioritizing drainage and sewer projects in capital planning. The city said it will continue monitoring the affected neighborhoods, pursue remaining Rochester Road capacity upgrades and review equipment-backup measures for watch points.
