"It has been overwhelming:" Even after millions in repairs, some still had flooding issues in Whitefish Bay



WHITEFISH BAY (WITI) -- Whenever it rains, some folks in Whitefish Bay cringe because they've had very bad flooding in the past. The village spent $15 million to fix issues that led to severe flooding back in 2010, so how did folks fare when storms struck on Thursday, April 9th?

"It has been overwhelming today," said Michael Coyle with Harrison's Cleanup and Restoration.

Coyle was busy helping folks clean up on Thursday.

"If they have a finished basement with water, you can see standing water on top of carpet," said Coyle.

On Thursday, Coyle's line of work took him to Palisades Road in Whitefish Bay. While water was seen flowing on the outside, a trip down the basement revealed the real problem -- if only it was just water.

"When I come down here and see turds that have come up through my floor drain, sitting in my house, it just galls me," said a Whitefish Bay resident.

This Whitefish Bay resident asked not to be identified. His basement was filled with three inches of fresh, raw sewage Thursday. It is a problem he's used to.

Even with an estimated $100,000 in basement improvements over the years, when there's heavy rain, the number he can't get rid of is 'number two!'

"The last numbers I saw was as of 10 p.m. (Wednesday) night, we had about three-and-a-half inches of rain. And then it rained after I heard that," said Village of Whitefish Bay Manager Steven Sheiffer.

Sheiffer says about 15 residents reported water problems and more were expected Thursday.

"We've got one what I'd call 'hot spot,'" said Sheiffer.

Since a freak storm in 2010, millions of dollars have been spent to collect the rain water in Whitefish Bay. Sheiffer says improvements have worked, but the sewage system on Thursday for some, did not.

"That is a hydraulics problem. We don't know if it starts with the deep tunnel, or the neighborhood, but we are going to find out," said Sheiffer.

"I'd rather everything get dumped in the lake and the river than my basement!" the Whitefish Bay resident who didn't want to be identified said.

Residents who saw sewage backups and reported it received a visit from village engineers. That has made a lot of people hopeful after years of seeing little progress solving their issues.