OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Oshkosh city council has approved a $132,000 investigation into flooding on 7th Avenue, a month after residents filed a formal complaint with the city.
- Residents say they saw an increase in sump pump usage and basement flooding after city construction.
- The city says it has had difficulty finding a consultant to conduct the investigation.
- City council approved a $132,000 investigation into the box culprit system.
Four months ago, residents on 7th Avenue in Oshkosh noticed flooding and an increase in their sump pump usage, they say it was due to city reconstruction of the water lines in the neighborhood.
Now, four of the residents have filed a formal claim against the city.
"Our clients are not upset with the city of Oshkosh, they're upset with the situation,” Douglas Rose, the lawyer representing the residents, says.
Rose says the notice was filed with the city on January 15, and the city has 120 days to respond before a formal lawsuit can be filed.
Rose says they’re hoping for a resolution before then.
"We're trying to keep this as amicable as possible but we've been somewhat frustrated by a lack of response,” Rose says.
Director of Public Works James Rabe says they’ve reached out to the residents with any new information on the issue.
“All I can say is, you know, we are listening, we have heard them, we have been trying to, you know, get some things in place to try to identify what is causing the issue,” he said.
Since the fall, Rabe says the city has been looking for a consultant to inspect the ground water and see if there are any issues with the storm water lines or box culprit.
Rabe says finding a consultant has taken longer than expected.
“Several of the consultants that we spoke to just couldn’t look at something of this small of scale, or didn’t have the expertise to really try to help us out.”
Rose says he found a geo-technical consultant to conduct their own investigation of the area.
Rabe says they have conducted investigations in the area, blocking off the storm sewer to separate it from the fox river. The results were inconclusive– while they found no issues, they weren’t able to test the box culprit while it was filled with water.
At the city council meeting on Feb. 11, the council approved the city to hire a consultant to use a remote operated vehicle to inspect the box culprit and see if it is leaking.
Rabe says the investigation will begin within the month, but results won’t be available until April. The consultant was hired for $132,000, which will be paid for by city utility bills.
“It’s certainly frustrating to us as well that it’s taken us this long to find somebody that would be able to help us,” Rabe says. “We’re going to keep working towards this until we can figure out what’s going on and what’s changed in this area.”
Rose says his clients have waited long enough, though they are happy to see some progress.
"We find that somewhat positive, that the city has at least authorized some investigative work,” he says. “We wish that would have happened earlier. what my concern is is if they have results in april, it doesn't mean that they're about to fix it."
NBC26 reached out to Oshkosh city attorney's office for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Rabe did acknowledge the claim.
