BEAUMONT — Just days after speaking to KFDM about sewage issues an elderly couple says they’ve experienced for 20 years, the city of Beaumont is responding, not with solutions but with an explanation for why there isn’t one.
Representatives with Beaumont’s Water Utilities Department came to Lufkin Avenue on Tuesday. Mike Harris, Director of Water and Wastewater Operations spoke with the Jeffersons, explaining exactly what’s going on and the search for solutions.
“I do know that the residents are frustrated and I can say that we’re equally frustrated,” said Harris. “We don’t like to hear of anyone having any sewer issues.”
Last Thursday Sheridan told KFDM that every time it rains for the last 20 years she and her husband can’t flush their toilets. For the last four, the sewage actually backs up into their home
“Yes it bothers me because hey, I think– I feel that we shouldn’t even have to go through that,” said Jefferson.
Harris says the issue is old infrastructure. The Jeffersons live next to a sewer line that runs down Lucas and serves most of North Beaumont’s neighborhoods. Rain water shouldn’t enter this system, but it does, and when it flows in faster than a lift station can pump it out, the water backs up into homes.
Harris says Water Utilities installed check valves in the line as a temporary solution in 2021.
“This check valve closes off, this line starts getting full, we bring the vac trucks in here and vacuum this manhole here out,” said Harris. “That’s what we do to actually get relief into this neighborhood so every one here can flush.”
Harris says the Jeffersons and others are now able to flush within one or two hours when it used to be one or two days. It still isn’t a solution, but Harris says the city is making repairs to prevent the problem.
“Every time we go out and we pipe burst the line, or we renew a line, or we rehab a manhole, we’re stopping rainwater from getting in the system,” said Harris. “Eventually we’re going to come to a point where we stopped enough rainwater that we’ll quit seeing problems.”
But the “when” is unknown. Harris’ department is in the middle of a $95,000 project expected to finished early 2025 that will help determine which lines near the Jeffersons need replacing the soonest.
“We’re making efforts to solve the sewer issues in Beaumont. It’s just such a widespread issue,” said Harris.
So, as the Jeffersons have already been told for 20 years — the pipes are old, the city is working on it and it’ll take time.
Harris says the city allocated $6,000,000 a year to renew the sewer system, but the only way to fix the problem for the Jeffersons sooner would be to dedicate the entire $6,000,000 to their area.