State Specific Question About: RHODE ISLAND (RI)

I have owned a rental house in Newport, RI for 6 years. This summer, the town ripped up the street breaking into a water main flooding the street, it's on a hill) They also were ripping up the street for I believe gas work. Shortly after the ripping up of the street, I got a call from my summer rental saying there was inches of water in the basement. It turned out to be sewage. The house is over 100 years old and has a cistern in front in between the house and the main town sewer line. Apparently, debris, I assume from the road work got into the cistern and backed it up. So we had to pump it out and disinfect the basement. We also raised the cistern pipe so no more debris would fall throught the top.

However, I now believe that the road work caused fissures in the cistern as we just got a call from our winter tenants that there was water in the basement. Same issue, sewage backed up because debris and sediment filled in the cistern.

I know the answer is to remove the cistern. However my question is how do I get the town to pay for cleaning up the sewage?

My personal experience in getting the town to admit fault and taking corrective action is next to impossible. The town has an engineer on their payroll who works with other engineers in projects such as the one in front of your house. The engineers will cover up faults and since the are "PE"'s (Professional Engineers) their word will squelch and theories you have as to the cause of the problem.

You will need a lawyer to fight the town and the engineers. It will be a long battle. I been through this with water problem.

John

New Jersey

Last year when my town installed a new sidewalk in front of my house, the contractor hired by the town dugged up the front yard too deep damaging the sewer lateral between my house and the main sewer line under the front street.

At first I thought I had a sewer line blocked by tree roots which happened several years ago. Attempt by a roto-rooter revealed something big was blocking the sewer lateral at about 125 feet away from home which was where the sidewalk was being installed.

I hired a private plumber who has done business with the town before so he knows whom to speak to investigate the situation taking pictures of the collapsed sewer lateral by a camera attached to a power snake confirming the city contractor indeed damaged the lateral.

My plumber tried to convince the town engineer as to what happedned with evidence back up by the camera. Meanwhile I wrote a strong letter to the mayor telling her what happened with ccs to neighbors in the several blocks where town is installing a new sidewalk, and town newspapers.

It took only a week the town admitted their wrongdoing and they dugup the front yard to replace the collapsed sewer lateral. I got all the cost re-imbursed (roto-rooter and my plumber's fees, about $1500 altogether).

Town chief engineer and the owner of the construction company were at my door to apologize. Mayor also called me to apologize. My letter cc-ed to town newspapers were never published.