Legal action threatened over flooding in Appleton | WTAQ News Talk | 97.5 FM · 1360 AM

APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A group of Appleton residents is considering taking legal action against the city, demanding its help in cleaning up damage from last week’s flash floods that sent thousands of gallons of water and sewage into their homes.

Dozens of homes along North Viola Street were heavily damaged by the storm, with some homes seeing nearly two feet of sewage seepage.

“Terrifying and traumatic.” That’s how Rachel Peterson described the flooding in her house on Friday. “Within five minutes, there were 80,000 gallons of water in our basement.”

The rainwater flowed through her backyard so quickly that it tore away part of the foundation of her house.

“We have two holes the size of car doors in our foundation right now. Our house is completely uninhabitable,” Peterson said.

She and dozens of her neighbors believe the city of Appleton is to blame for what happened, accusing it of failing to properly maintain the stormwater and sewer systems. “Something similar happened 20 years ago, so the city has had plenty of time to address this problem and hasn’t done so yet,” Peterson added.

According to Peterson, after she was evacuated from the area by boat with the help of the Appleton Fire Department, she observed city workers removing manhole covers from her street. Removing the manhole covers caused the water to recede in less than an hour, and sewage was backing up into several homes.

“The city has clearly failed in its obligation to ensure the functioning of the stormwater and sewer systems,” Peterson said.

Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford denied these claims.

“We had no evidence of a rupture or blockage in the system that could have caused such an event. We found no evidence of that. The real cause is that there was an exceptional amount of rain in a narrow strip of the city in a very short period of time,” Woodford told FOX 11 on Monday when asked about the resident’s claims.

Peterson and her neighbors, who are considering legal action against the city if it doesn’t fix the problem, say the mayor’s reasoning doesn’t make sense. “The area affected was so specific that if it had just rained that much everywhere, we would have seen damage to many more homes.”

FOX 11’s subsequent requests to speak with Mayor Woodford after N. Viola Street residents requested a meeting with him went unanswered.

Peterson said Woodford is refusing to speak with her and her neighbors. “We will coordinate our efforts and continue to be in contact with the mayor until we find a solution. We are not going to let this go.”

Residents of N. Viola Street are being encouraged by their neighbors to fill out a damage and claim form and submit it to the state in hopes of recovering the damages caused.