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Charlotte homeowner searching for answers after house floods yet again
Steph Johnson says his property floods easily due to downhill runoff and a clogged pipe, but there’s been confusion for years over who is responsible to fix it.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A homeowner is in limbo as his home sits damaged from recent flooding.
WCNC Charlotte first shared Steph Johnson’s story when Tropical Storm Debby flooded many parts of Charlotte on August 8. His neighborhood in Steele Creek experiences flooding often. Johnson and his neighbors said it’s due to downhill runoff and a clogged pipe.
Johnson’s property gets the worst impact when there is heavy rain and he hopes the city can help, but he told WCNC Charlotte that he is still waiting for answers.
The water is gone but the damage is still evident 11 days after Debby flooded Johnson’s backyard and house. Three dehumidifiers were on full blast in the living area on Monday and dirt filled the cracks of the baseboards. The vegetable garden in the backyard is now gone and mud covers the patio.
“Because it’s not in a flood zone, it’s not covered under insurance so we’re looking at up to $10,000 to $20,000 worth of damage,” Johnson said.
A runoff creek in the woods behind Johnson’s house stops right at his property line. The creek is supposed to drain into a pipe, but when there’s a major rain event, it overflows.
The pipe runs underground between Johnson’s house and his neighbor’s house. Contractors have told the neighbors that the pipe is clogged and cracked, but there’s confusion over who is responsible for fixing the damage and continuous flooding problems.
“Just kinda getting to the bottom of who actually owns the pipe is still a concern, still a frustration,” Johnson said.
Johnson and his neighbor have been trying to fix the pipe issue and thought repairs were the city’s responsibility. They were on the city’s waitlist for years to have the pipe checked out.
“We’ve been told several different stories,” Johnson said.
However, the city told WCNC Charlotte that the pipe is the homeowner’s responsibility. Johnson said if that’s the case, he still has another issue:
“What do we do about the runoff coming from outside our area,” he asked.
Johnson met with the city’s Stormwater Services on Saturday, which is analyzing where the runoff comes from.
“If it does come off of Youngblood Road, and into the pipe, they would work to help to assist remediation,” Johnson said the Stormwater Services project manager told him.
However, the city told WCNC Charlotte on Monday that the runoff is actually from surrounding private properties and not its responsibility.
While the city answered WCNC Charlotte’s questions, Johnson said he’s still waiting to hear back. “I don’t know what the next steps are,” he added.