Local mobile home park dealing with foul sewage issue
People living at a mobile home park in Galesburg are fed up. They say sewage keeps backing up and flooding Andrews Estates with feces.
The mobile home park is on East Michigan Avenue in Galesburg. Those living there say the problem has been going on for years and they want action.
Kalamazoo County says it is aware of the problem, and those living in the park say they can't get management to do anything about the issue, so they called Newschannel 3.
According to those living there, what's flushed down at Andrews Estates keeps bubbling back up.
“This field right here where we're standing in, this is where the human feces from busted pipes, neglected pipes out for years, bubbles up,” said Tony Hofacker, who lives at Andrews Estates.
Hofacker says the sewage comes out of the manholes and right out of the ground around his home.
“We don't have nowhere else for the kids to play,” said Hofacker.
Hofacker says the only action management at Andrews Estates has taken is to post a warning for kids to stay out of the fields. And sewage isn't the only problem.
“The metals that come through the water,” said Hofacker, “we can't even drink the water.”
The sinks are covered in rust from heavy metals in the water and pitchers of drinking water come out orange.
“How long has this been a problem?” we asked Hofacker.
“The whole time I've been here,” said Hofacker.
Hofacker says he's lived at Andrews Estates for thirteen years.
“Have you talked to management about it?” asked Newschannel 3.
“We tried to, they won't listen to us, they don't want to talk to us,” said Hofacker. “They avoid us, they turn their back on us, they don't want to hear from us, they tell us not to call.”
Newschannel 3 called management several times, but have not heard back, even though a maintenance man told us they got our messages.
“We're tired of the way management handles things around here,” said Hofacker.
Kalamazoo County Environmental Quality says it's been out to Andrews Estates several times for problems with the septic system, but the park is actually under the state's jurisdiction, so little has been done, and when the sewage bubbles up, there's nothing those who live in Andrews Estates can do.
http://www.wwmt.com/articles/newschannel-1391346-home-park.html