Greenfield residents cleaning up feet of water after water main break
GREENFIELD, Wis. (CBS58) -- In Greenfield, a water main break created a sinkhole that partially swallowed a Milwaukee Public Works truck.
But that wasn't the only damage- about 20 houses had no running water for hours but found more than a foot of water rushing into their basements.
The water main break occurred near the intersection of S. 37th and W. Kimberly around 5 p.m. Thursday, July 31.
"I've never seen anything like this in my life," said Lisa Abbott, who got a call from her parents Thursday afternoon, saying their basement was flooding.
She said she rushed over and tried to help, "it was rising super-fast. My dad and I were down there trying to get as many sentimentals and pictures as we could, and it was too high. It was 3 feet high, so it wasn’t safe to be down there. We didn't want to get electrocuted." She went on to say, "the whole basement is pretty much trashed, now, pretty much destroyed."
Meanwhile, Janis Kramer said she found out about the water in her basement after seeing police and trucks outside her home, and an official asking her if she had water in her basement.
"I opened it up and thought, that's from the other room," said Kramer, noting that she had bins floating around in the water. Her finished basement is covered with custom-made wood pieces, with a pool table, bar, and a couch. What's left now are fans, mud, and water.
BMS CAT responded to the area, aiding about 10 homes in getting water out of their basements. Jimmy Reed is the emergency coordinator, explaining that the homes with finished basements could have tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damage. "It’s a 10/10 severe for homeowners. A foot and a half of sewage-type water is definitely no good," he said.
Officials say the break occurred on a small distribution line with high water pressure, causing a significant amount of water to be released into homes.
The question now is who will cover the costs: "I don't have a clue. With my insurance, it probably didn't even pay for them to pump it out," shared Kramer. BMS CAT says the city of Milwaukee owns the pipes.
We asked the city if residents will be reimbursed for the damage and haven't heard back.
We’ve been told crews could be here for weeks to repair the water main break, but for residents, it could be months before their homes are back to normal.