Residents at the Diamonte Apartments face a health hazard from a clogged sewer line that’s spilling waste on the ground and into a storm drain.
SAN ANTONIO — First you hear the sound of running water and then it’s the smell.
People who live at the Diamonte Apartments in the 3700 block of East Commerce just west of I-10 say a clogged and overflowing sewer line just outside the exit gate of the complex has been a mess for some time.
The wastewater flows steadily and the vegetation for a couple of hundred yards downstream is thick and lush, as the mess makes its way into a storm drain that is clearly labeled: “No basura! No dumping! Drains to waterways.”
San Antonio Water System (SAWS) spokesman Anne Hayden said until a call from KENS 5 Tuesday morning, they were unaware of the issue.
“Something that’s really critical in a big city like San Antonio is that we can’t be everywhere at once, and as you could see today, even people who own property don’t necessarily know what’s going on all the time,” said Hayden. “So it’s a great idea to go ahead and give SAWS a heads up at 210-704-SAWS.”
Hayden said specific information is the best way to get prompt attention.
“Have the address at hand because saying it’s somewhere down this block or behind this other building doesn’t really help and do it sooner rather than later to reduce the amount of sewage that may be spilled in a spot,” Hayden said.
Once they’re notified of a problem, Hayden said they respond to investigate the source, which can be a common occurrence at apartment developments.
“When you’ve got 100 or 200 units and everybody individually is using wipes or putting grease down the drain, it happens more often,” Hayden said.
At Diamonte, Hayden said, the crew located the problem on private land owned by the complex.
“If it’s on our side, we’ll start fixing it right away but when we went to this apartment complex, we could see it was on private property, so we can’t use public funds to fix their private sewer issue,” she said.
Hayden said workers were able to reduce the amount flowing out of the pipe and the next step is to report the issue to the city’s code compliance division.
“Hopefully the apartment complex is going to take that next step and call a plumber to be able to fix it right away. If not, if this continues, obviously it’s a health issue so the city will then bring in their compliance folks and make sure that something is done about it,” Hayden said.
If a fix just doesn’t happen, Hayden said the next step is notifying the state.
“If it continues still, we will notify the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which may bring financial penalties down upon this organization,” Hayden said.
KENS 5 reached out to the complex, both in person and on the phone. We are still waiting on a response about what their action plan might be and we will share any update we receive.
Hayden said prolonged drought is one factor in water and sewer line problems.
“We’re in the 6th year of drought. Drought affects pipes, not only water mains but also sewer mains, and that’s another reason why things like these happen,” Hayden said. “This was caused by blockage, so wipes, grease, it’s really important not to put stuff down the pipes.”
No matter the cause, Hayden said reporting problems promptly matters.
“If it’s a main break, if it’s water running off on the street, or if it’s sewage running off, please let us know,” Hayden said.
In addition to their 24-hour hotline, problems can be reported online here.