KC homeowner says standing water has flooded his backyard for nearly a year despite repeated complaints

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories in Kansas City, Missouri, and stories offering crime solutions. Share your story idea with La’Nita.

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AJ White has lived in his Kansas City home for almost a year, but he says he has never truly been able to settle in.

The reason: persistent standing water in his backyard that he says has gone unresolved despite repeated attempts to get help from the city.

Chris Morrison

White began noticing the standing water in December, just two months after moving in.

"My puppy back then, I got him at 7 weeks," White said. "It would freeze over so much where he could walk on the ice like a little ice rink. From that point on, I started taking pictures."

He has been documenting the problem ever since. White says he has filed sewer and stormwater work orders, spoken with legal investigators and contacted city council members — but the problem remains.

"Being bounced around and feeling like they don't care, especially [because] this is my first property, really excited," he said. "I expected some difficulties, but this ... something nobody could have ever prepared me for."

The water is not just an eyesore. White said it refills almost as fast as he can remove it, even when it doesn't rain.

Chris Morrison

"I'll pump it out, and 20 minutes later, this whole pond is full back up," White said.

After we reached out to the city, a crew was sent to investigate. A worker said the source of the water has been difficult to pinpoint.

Chris Morrison

"We can't really determine which way it's coming because it's coming up through a conduit," the worker said.

As the water inches closer to White's foundation, he said he is not sure what comes next — only that he keeps pushing forward.

"When people ask me if it's getting better or not, I just say I'm just taking another step," he said. "I don't know if backwards, to the side or to the forward; I just know I'm taking another step."

The city followed up in an email saying they are still investigating the matter.

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