For John Nettles, who lives in Landsdowne, it seems the flow of putrid water from a manhole in his yard may never end – though the problem only surfaces after a heavy downpour, the surge of untreated sewage into Nettle’s yard has been of constant concern since he first reported it in 2013.

According to Nettles, he has reported the issue multiple times to the mayor’s office to no avail.

“This problem has been an ongoing on for over five years now and has been reported to both Public Works and the mayor’s office on several occasions,” Nettles said. “Suffice it to say, there is something fundamentally wrong with this scene resulting from the city’s negligence in maintaining its drainage systems.”

Not only has Nettles reported the issue to local authorities, he has filed multiple complaints with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).

His most recent, filed in December of last year, was first addressed by ADEM on Dec. 31, 2018. At that time, the department contacted Destiny Caldwell with the City of Selma and requested that the city have personnel investigate the site.

Caldwell responded via voicemail alleging that the site was outside of the city’s jurisdiction, according to the ADEM report.

On Jan. 2, the city was notified that the site was in fact within the city’s jurisdiction, as evidenced by the fact that it rests within Councilwoman Susan Youngblood’s ward, Ward 2, with whom Nettles has been in close contact regarding the ongoing issue.

According to the ADEM report, a city official noted that they were aware of the overflow issues and the city has it in their budget to fix the issue.

The report further states that the city had filed a Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) report.

According to ADEM Public Relations Unit Chief Jerome Hand, such a report is required of the city and it is required to take action to address the issue.

The next evaluation came on Jan. 4, when the ADEM report only notes that Nettle sent another email regarding the overflow in his yard.

The “nasty smelling” overflow, Nettles said, isn’t the only concern – the sewage is eroding his property and draining into the Alf Branch of Jones Creek, creating what Youngblood called a “public health concern.”

“It’s a health problem, of course, it’s unsightly, it’s a nuisance,” Youngblood said. “It’s just cause for so much concern.”

Youngblood noted that she has put in work orders “for years” aimed at addressing this issue with no success.

“I just am unable to be as effective as I would like to be,” Youngblood said, noting that there is little she can do past informing the proper departments about the continuing problem and urging them to take action.

For Ray Hogg, whose company Hogg Engineering serves as the city’s consulting engineer, the issue is one not unique to Selma and one with a definite resolution.

“We recognize the problem, it just takes a long time,” Hogg said. “Being a resident of Selma, I’m proud of my community and I want to make sure everything works.”

Hogg noted that Selma has one of the oldest sewer systems in the state and many of the underground pipes are made of clay which, over time, cracks and lets in excess water which causes “infiltration and in-flow” and results in back-ups and overflows.

“Selma is not unique to any other community as far as infrastructure needs,” Hogg said.

According to Hogg, there are two options for repairing the issue – the first would be to dig up and replace every questionable line within the city and the second, which is being preferred by the city, is to insert a lining in the pipes which will act as a buffer against the cracks that are causing the majority of the problems.

Hogg noted that many pipes in Selma have already been repaired in this manner and the one leading the Nettles’ home is next on the list.

Because the repair work requires that a crew run cameras through the pipes before the repairs can be made, the weather has caused a delay in getting the crew, which was last in Selma in December, back to town to do the inspections.

Once the weather improves, they will be able to get started on the necessary repairs, Hogg said.

“What’s going to happen with that I really don’t know,” Nettles said.