Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works Sewer topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents tell council of chronic sewer backups on Oakland Drive; township says tort claim sent to insurer
Summary
Multiple Oakland Drive residents told Gloucester Township Council of recurring sewer backups—one resident said problems date to 1973—and urged an independent review; council said a tort claim was submitted to the insurance carrier and that the administration will follow up with the sewer department.
Several Gloucester Township residents used the meeting’s public comment period to report long-running sewer backups and to press the township for clearer follow-up and independent review.
"My sewer has been backing up since 1973 when we moved in," said Bernardet Pleka, who told the council she has replaced a private lateral multiple times and that plumbers have told her the recurring blockage is in the street main rather than her home connection. Pleka said township crews inspected and identified an offset alignment between the lateral and the main and that she had not received the promised follow-up report.
Miss Schmidt (17 Oakland Drive) said township workers recently marked her street and that informal on-street measurements suggest the house connections may be angled away from the main. "I do believe that the...connection from the street to the house...is off because it's angled," she said, and told council she will have the alignment professionally measured and has provided materials for the record.
Joe Lombard (18 Oakland Drive) said he experienced water in his basement for the first time and called for more consistent communication after crews inspect on-street infrastructure. "A better response would be...a call back...so everybody understands what we're facing," he said.
Council said it had received the complaints and that officials were acting. The council president said the matter had been forwarded to the legal department and to the township’s insurance carrier. "It has been submitted to the insurance carrier and while it's being reviewed, I can tell you that the township is taking whatever steps possible to alleviate your concerns," the council president said.
Township business administrator Mr. Cars told residents he would provide an update "either tomorrow or the following day," and council asked sewer department staff to continue fieldwork. Residents asked for an independent contractor review; the transcript records that request but does not show the council committing to use an outside evaluator. Several residents emphasized the financial and emotional toll of recurring backups, and one speaker noted she had been told to run hot water and Clorox monthly—advice she described as inadequate.
The transcript shows a tort claim was filed and passed to the insurance carrier; no corrective timeline or definitive engineering conclusion was provided in the meeting record. Council directed administration to continue follow-up and pledged responsiveness to the affected residents.
