Cleanup underway for Griesbach basements still covered in sewage two days after flooding
Where there was once a pool of raw sewage, basement floors reappeared in some Griesbach homes in north Edmonton on Sunday.
More than 100 basements in the area flooded with human filth Friday evening, after heavy rainfall caused backups in the sewer system.
If it doesn't rain again, Epcor expects to resolve the issue by Monday or Tuesday morning.
At the problem's peak, the sewer system was working to contain nearly triple the amount of water it normally holds, said Clayton Tiedemann, a vice president for Epcor's drainage division.
Crews have been working around the clock to drain the water, he said, pumping excess water into vactor trucks and a bypass tunnel.
I don't know anything about is this healthy or not, is it safe? - Dennis Paul, Griesbach resident
"We are bypassing it, but you can only do that slowly because if you do it too fast, you will overwhelm the system to the south and cause the same problem somewhere else," Tiedemann said.
"We made some good progress last night and we hope to see good progress again tonight."
Despite progress, some residents still have filthy pools in their basements. Dennis Paul said the water in his home is about a foot deep.
"I don't know anything about is this healthy or not, is it safe?" he said.
"The smell itself, you can actually smell it starting to rise. Like, it's actually going further and further up into the house."
Since Friday, Paul, his wife and two children have been driving to a friend's house to shower and use the bathroom.
Epcor brought portable toilets to the area Saturday evening, he said.
Some of the affected homes are managed by Westcorp Property Management, which has negotiated reduced room rates for residents at an Edmonton hotel.
In a news release, the company said 124 rental units flooded. As of Sunday afternoon, Epcor said it had received calls through 311 from only 55 customers.
"Please, do call 311, because if we don't hear from you, we won't know," Tiedemann said.
Epcor is going to expand the sewer system by adding another tunnel, he said, but that won't be done for at least another year.
