Sewage leak leaves Brooklyn tenants dodging wastewater outside their building
NYCHA says a collapsed waste line is causing the leak. An official told News 12 the line is in an inaccessible crawl space. Repairs were attempted as recently as September, but they did not fix the problem.
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Workers sprayed down the sidewalk outside Borinquen Plaza on Wednesday, cleaning up foul-smelling liquid seeping from the bottom of 330 Bushwick Ave.
Near the corner of Bushwick Avenue and Siegel Street, the liquid spread across the sidewalk. Some people walked through it. Tenant Raymond Torres tried to find a dry path for his scooter.
“First we used to think it was laundry, but then we started noticing the smell,” Torres said.
NYCHA says a collapsed waste line is causing the leak. An official told News 12 the line is in an inaccessible crawl space. Repairs were attempted as recently as September, but they did not fix the problem.
News 12 watched maintenance workers apply a cleaning solution and hose off the sidewalk. Torres wants a repair that stops the leak.
“We need a solid solution so it can stop happening,” he said.
Several people interviewed described noticing the odor for months or years, but their accounts differed. News 12 has not confirmed when the current leak began, and NYCHA did not provide a start date.
The issue was raised at Community Board 1’s meeting Tuesday night. A NYCHA official said senior agency executives attended.
NYCHA says it is developing a repair plan and timeline. It has not provided a date for completing the work.
The agency noted residents experiencing plumbing problems can call NYCHA’s Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771 or submit a work ticket through the MyNYCHA app.
