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Resident urges New Britain City to track basement sewer backups after heavy rains
Summary
At the July 9 New Britain Common Council meeting, resident Andrew Pope described repeated basement sewage backups after heavy rain, said city staff told him 'the city's not at fault,' and asked whether the city is tracking such calls and how homeowners should get help.
Andrew Pope, a New Britain resident who gave his address as 87 Brian Street, told the Common Council on July 9 that sewer water entered his basement after heavy rains and that a morning inspection by a city crew concluded there was 'no problem.' 'The city's not at fault,' he quoted the field employee as saying, and added that without continuous monitoring he cannot document the intermittent backups that follow storms.
Pope said he called the public works office and the water department; the water department dispatched someone who checked the sewer lateral on nearby streets and reported no issue, but the backups in his basement continued. He told the council he would like the city to track how often residents report sewer water backing up into basements and to publicly share that data: 'If they do, that'd be great. I would love to see the data on that.'
Alderwoman Scott, responding during the council's member comments, thanked Pope for raising the problem and said she would seek more information. No formal action was taken; the matter remained a public concern for council follow-up. The council did not record a motion or vote on sewer infrastructure or on a request for systematic tracking during this meeting. The public-comment exchange concluded with the council promising to invite staff to respond where appropriate.
What happens next: Council members expressed interest in additional information; residents who experience basements backups should provide addresses and times to the city's public works or water department so the council and staff can determine whether a pattern warrants further operational or capital response.
