KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Neighbors in Brookside say a raw sewage leak along the Trolley Trail is making their community smell — and look — unpleasant.
A sign glued on a stop sign on Trolley Trail, near Brookside Boulevard and W. 61st Terrace, reads “Raw sewage, call 311 to complain.”
It’s a call to action — neighbors are concerned about the raw sewage in the area.
Janet Crawford lives just a couple of feet from the trail.
She can’t wait to see it fixed.
“You can smell it every time the wind blows. I can literally smell it inside my house,” she said. “It's a little concerning.”
But neighbors are not the only ones affected. Mack Smart runs on the trail multiple times per week. He’s found different strategies to deal with the smell.
“You definitely try to hold your breath as you go by, or try to breathe through your mouth. But even then, you can honestly kind of taste it in the air a little bit. It's pretty disgusting,” Smart said.
The smell is just part of it — it also looks bad.
“It’s very dark green. Nasty. You don’t want that on your shoes, that’s for sure,” Smart said.
Neighbors also worry it could be a health hazard.
“Standing raw sewage that we’re dealing with… standing water carries a variety of pathogens,” Crawford said.
The concerns led neighbor Danielle Enriquez-Fowler to file 311 requests in June.
“I smelled it first. I was walking this way and I was like, Oh, that does not smell good,” said Enriquez-Fowler, who says the problem was even worse just a couple of weeks ago. “The problem was getting worse.”
Enriquez-Fowler also reached out to Councilman Johnathan Duncan.
The city learned that the problem is on a private sewer line owned by five different properties.
KSHB 41 didn't learn which houses were involved.
According to KC Water, they can’t make repairs on private sewer or water lines — which means the property owners will need to fix it.
The water utility company released a statement, which reads below.
KC Water has received multiple 3-1-1 notices about the leak in that area. Investigators determined the sewer line is privately owned. The department is not able, by city code, to make repairs on private sewer or water lines. The owners of the line will need to remedy the issue. KC Water has referred the case to Neighborhood Services for enforcement.
“They've all stated that they're willing to fix the issue. So we're working with them to get to an amicable solution without having to resort to fines,” Duncan said. “We want to ensure that they feel the urgency that we feel.”
The Neighborhood Services Department has been in contact with each of the property owners involved. According to the department, a meeting will be held on Thursday to discuss the issue.
You can read their statement below.
The Neighborhood Services Department has been in contact with each of the property owners involved. We are coordinating a meeting with the property owners and KC Water to discuss the issue and work toward a potential resolution.
This matter may require the collaboration of all property owners and could involve significant costs. We have a meeting scheduled for this Thursday to continue discussions and explore possible solutions.
Neighbors say they want it fixed as soon as possible.
“When you see people walking by and holding their noses, it makes me feel like this beautiful neighborhood is not quite as beautiful as it used to be,” Crawford said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
