LUDLOW — A torrent of sewage from a hilltop condominium site has damaged more than 50 older homes in this blue-collar river town — a town that had been rejoicing at the upscale development project.

        A coveted site was bulldozed for the multimillion-dollar River's Breeze condos overlooking the Ohio River, but there have been so many erosion, drainage and sewage problems that Ludlow has stopped issuing new building permits to the developer — Fischer Development Co. — until proper drainage is in place.

A site cleared for construction and a partially built condominium sit above homes in Ludlow. (Jim Matthews photo) | ZOOM |

        On April 21, a day when nearly 2 inches of rain fell, Angie Knipp, 29, came home from the grocery to find sewage in the basement of her house on Hazen Street. It is one of about 55 homes situated on the hillside just below the development.

        “She pushed the garage door opener and was greeted by 18 inches of raw sewage,” said her father, Roy Knipp, 54, of Hebron. “She thought it was going to wash her car away. Her tennis shoes went floating down the street.”

        The site — where 300 units are planned — is still under construction, and no units are yet occupied. But when completed, city officials have estimated, it would boost the value of the city's aging housing stock by 13 percent. The project is the city's first development of any significance in more than 20 years, city officials said.

        A storm-water sewage hookup from River's Breeze into the city's sewer system is blamed, in part, for the sewage backups into homes on April 21.

        Ms. Knipp, who could not be reached for comment, hasn't been able to live in the house since. The developer has been footing her bill at a hotel and is repairing the home.

        Fred Brooks, of the 300 block of Hazen Street, turned a $9,000 bill for destroyed items, such as a television and computer, over to his insurance company.

        “I've lived here 23 years and never got water,” the former city councilman said. “I sure didn't expect to get it this year. I live on the side of the hill, not the bottom.”

Earl Soward predicted the drainage problems in a February letter to the Ludlow mayor. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        The Ludlow Fire Department responded three times that day as homeowners up and down the street were flooded by sewage backing up into their homes.

        The Knipps hesitate to criticize Fischer Development Co., which is also paying for extensive repairs, including installing something the home has never had — central air conditioning.

        Jeff Eger, the general manager of the agency that oversees all of Northern Kentucky's sewers, called a 27-inch pipe draining storm-water from the condo site “unauthorized” Thursday, and has ordered the pipe carrying water into the city's sewer system removed.

        The extra water from the pipe that is too big for an aging system, the additional rain and clogging from debris caused sewers to back up into homes, Mr. Eger said.

        Fischer Development Co. president Rob Hawksley said the hookup is not unauthorized. A unit of Fischer, Grand Communities Ltd., is developing the project.

        The condos will sell for between $90,000 and $120,000.

        “To the best of my knowledge, all our plans were approved by the proper government authorities, and we installed the utilities accordingly,” Mr. Hawksley said. “We didn't come up with some secret, creative way to get rid of rainwater.”

        Another Hazen Street resident, Sandra Knauer, 57, is pleased with Fischer's response. A Fischer executive personally came to inspect the damage to her property. Ms. Knauer's home doesn't have a basement, but backyard landscaping was swept away by rainwater pouring down from the development.

        She said Fischer has promised to pay for a new drainage system around her home, and that the company has already sent a local horticulture expert to her home to talk about enhancing her existing landscaping.

        Earl Soward, who lives across from Ms. Knipp, isn't as happy with Fischer.

        He predicted the drainage problems in a letter, dated Feb. 8, to Mayor Ed Schroeder.

        In the letter, Mr. Soward wrote: “Those houses in the 400 block of Hazen and the properties that are next to Uphill Street are going to be affected most by this construction ... if council does not demand in writing and get it confirmed in writing that the developers watch out for the properties immediately affected by this construction.”

        He said his predictions fell on deaf ears. Politicians were willing to ignore possible problems in order to bring in the city its first major development in two decades, he said.

        Mayor Schroeder said the city of 4,000 has been in steady decline since the 1950s, and city officials were so eager to welcome the development that they changed the name of Uphill Street to River's Breeze Drive.

        The mayor predicted the developer would resolve the drainage problems.

        Mr. Soward, 63, who has terminal lung cancer, said his 70-year-old home could decline in value because of erosion problems. He has lived there for 25 years.

        “I don't want to leave my wife with this big house,” he said, “but no one wants it.”

        Mr. Hawksley said his company has taken “immediate and quick steps” to correct the problems and has prevented any similar problems during the last two weeks.

        The steps include:

        • Making sure the existing sewage connections are cleaned out.

        • Restricting the amount of storm water flowing into a sewer.

        • Raising the level of a retention pond.

        “Due to the inordinate amount of rain we have had recently, we are aware there have been some issues of erosion control that need to be addressed,” said Scott Hiles, the planning engineer for the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission. The developer “is working with us to have those concerns addressed as soon as possible.”
       

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