Sewage Blockage Causes Problems

The city of Monticello had a sewage blockage last week, and as a result, a family has been uprooted from their home.

Last Friday, sewage backed up in the home of James “ToJo” Turner, III, at 34 Hwy. 212 west in Monticello. Mrs. Turner said she heard water running and went to check the toilet. Before long, raw sewage was backing up in both her bathrooms…in the toilets and the tubs. Eventually, it overflowed, and sewage was everywhere.

Mr. Turner’s mother, Mary, said they called 911, and waited. They did not realize their call had gotten a response until late Friday evening when a city worker came to the door of the senior Turners to say the sewer was unclogged.

In the meantime the Turners had done what they could to salvage their home. They had opened a clean-out valve under the house to get rid of the mess in the house. It worked, but meanwhile the duct work came loose from the weight of the sewage that was drawn into the vents once it got in the house.

Basically, the duct work is a mess, the dirt under the house has to be cleaned up, which will probably require removal.

Hugh King, Monticello City Manager, said they are just waiting on the adjuster to come out and assess the damage.

Since the incident occurred on Friday of a holiday weekend, the Turners have not gotten much satisfaction. Tuesday, the first workday after the disaster, the city manager came out and Mr. Turner talked with a representative of the Environmental Protection Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Currently the younger Turners are staying with Mr. Turner’s parents, and just waiting. According to what they have learned on the internet and from other sources, everything touched by the sewage is contaminated and will need replacing.