MESA, Ariz. - A Mesa family is left cleaning up after gallons of raw sewage poured into their home when the city experienced a sewer system backup.
"It's just coming up and coming up, and it was just everywhere," said Melinda Tieman.
The Tiemans first noticed a problem with their toilets last Wednesday night.
"Our toilets were burping. I'm like running and I see the water swishing and I'm like this is so weird, Melinda Tieman said.
The problem didn't go away. A plumber told them it looked like a backup. The plumber started his repair job on Friday, but little did he know, the City of Mesa's sewer system was backed up with wipes and grease. So the second he cut into the Tieman's pipes, raw sewage started pouring out.
"It pumped we guess around 15,000 gallons," said Chantz Tieman.
The smell was overwhelming.
"It's not your own stuff you're dealing with, it's like hospital stuff. Who knows what's coming through the city sewage, you know?" said Melinda.
As the Tiemans and their plumber tried managing the flow of sewage, city workers attempted to stop the main backup. But city employees told the Tiemans they couldn't help them.
"He comes by and they literally say, 'We can't do anything on your property,'" said Melinda.
The couple and their plumber were stuck solving the massive, messy problem alone. In the meantime, they were concerned about health impacts for them and their children.
"Raw sewage can enter your body through your mouth, your wounds," Melinda said after doing research. "You can get tetanus, hepatitis A, E. coli."
The sewage finally stopped but it flooded their subfloor and left the ground surrounding their home saturated with the unsanitary and foul fluids.
"I've got four kids, I've got a brother with Down Syndrome I care for," expressed Melinda. "I need to know what is happening."
Mesa's Water Resources Department tells 12 News the Tiemans can submit a claim for reimbursement or go through their insurance, which could then go through the claims process.
The Tiemans say the repairs will cost more than $3,000.
"I need this sewage out of my yard. We've got kids that are riding bikes here and playing," said Melinda.
They believe the city should front the bill.
"It's so unnerving that they can't assure us that this is gonna be taken care of," said Melinda.
The Tiemans are staying in a hotel as they try to air out the horrible smell from their home and wait for the sewage water to get cleaned out. They say they plan on filing a claim but say there is no guarantee they will get their money back.