A Timberlea sewage backup that occurred last year during severe rainstorms has finally been recognized, and those affected could be eligible for financial relief that was recently approved by the council. During the incident 65 homes in Timberlea were affected and many say thousands of dollars or even tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Ever since the sewer backup last summer there have been ongoing disagreements about whether work on sewer upgrades were responsible for the backup or if the issues were caused solely by the severe rainstorms that hit the area as well. In the past both the administration and their insurers had made arguments that the municipality was not liable and that the problems were caused by the rain and were inevitable even without the sewer work. The administration has finally conceded that the severity of the sewer backups was likely worsened by the sanitary and storm line construction.

The Timberlea sewage backup caused many residents a lot of distress, especially when the severe rainstorms were seen as the only cause. The financial relief program approved by council members will start the healing process and begin to rebuild the trust of the residents. According to Michelle Fetter, a victim of the Timberlea sewer backup, “The storm has made me ashamed of this municipality.” Fetter went on to accuse the municipality of acting like big business and “covering your ass.” Michelle told the council that “This municipality needs to show that they respect the people who live here, because right now there’s a lot of anger, frustration and fear.”