A San Antonio woman’s apartment complex had a sewage issue for multiple weeks. Management cleaned it up and committed to fixing the plumbing after she called KENS.
SAN ANTONIO — Elizabeth Hansen said she and her neighbors had been dealing with the same sewage issue for several weeks. The sewage was flowing out of a pipe, which was located right in front of an apartment, and then flowing through the parking lot.
“It’s disgusting. Kids play in it and get it on their shoes and their ball when they are kicking soccer balls around.” Hansen said. “I just cringe.”
Hansen said management at Villas De Sendero knew about the problem and San Antonio’s code enforcement knew about the problem, but the sewage continued to sit there and she had no idea when it would be fixed.
Finally, she called KENS 5.
“I would like to know what anybody is doing!” Hansen said.
KENS 5 contacted San Antonio Development Services to find out how long code enforcement had been aware of the issue. A spokeswoman told us the sewer issue was reported on December 30 of last year and code enforcement had issued a “notice of violation” for the sewage on Jan. 7.
The sewage issue was still unresolved when KENS 5 visited the property on Jan. 15.
KENS 5 documented the issue that day but the office was already closed. KENS 5 then called the Villa De Sendero office manager the next morning and informed her there would be a story. The office manager said plumbers were working on the issue that day.
Hansen later told KENS 5 that plumbers and cleaning crews did, in fact, come out that day and stayed there for hours getting the sewage cleaned up.
“They were here all day,” Hansen said. “They were out here putting hoses down all of the vents and pushing everything through. They mentioned there were branches in there and it would be a temporary fix.”
When KENS 5 returned to the property the next week, there was no longer an active sewer leak, the sewage had been cleaned up and the parking lot was dry.
Hansen said she found out the current manager was new but they seemed to be addressing the issues. She was concerned the sewage issue was caused by damaged pipes and could still happen again.
KENS 5 visited the office and spoke to a woman who claimed to be a regional manager for Investors’ Property Services. The regional manager refused to provide KENS 5 her contact information but did provide a few details.
She said Investors’ Property Services had taken over the property Dec. 24 and said they had a temporary manager at the time Code Enforcement cited them. She said they were now getting bids from plumbing companies to fix pipes at the complex.
Hansen said she hopes the source of the plumbing issues are permanently solved. She’s glad she called KENS 5.
“I know it’s going to take time but I hope it gets done,” Hansen said. “I’m so grateful you came out. The very next day they were on it.”
If you have a problem like this, we want to help you fix it! In our series, Call KENS, we do our best to solve problems for our viewers. The number to call is 210-470-KENS, or fill out the form on this page.