'Pure poop': Homeowners cleaning up after backup floods basements

When Tammy Leipert de Montas arrived home after celebrating the Saskatchewan Roughriders win late Thursday night, she thought there had been a gas leak.

She said her home on Wood Crescent in Regina's Albert Parkneighbourhood smelled rancid. Then, she saw her sump pump.

"It was pumping as hard as it could, like a fire hose, out the backyard," Leipert de Montas said.

She said when they checked the basement, three inches of water and sludge covered the entire floor.

Leipert de Montas called the City of Regina right away, around 12:15 a.m., and said shewas told there had been a block along the sewer main on Pasqua Street.

"It wasn't raining, it was totally dry out. This was pure poop," she said, describing the sludge that remained on her floor.

Leipert de Montas said she received an update from the city around 1:30 a.m. that the issue was starting to dissipate. The water emptied on its own and restoration workers were at her home around 8 a.m. to begin cleaning.

She'll have to wait until Tuesday for the dozens of dryer fans in her basement to stop humming.

"Our basement is back to concrete and studs and emptied," she said, adding her brother lives across the street and had to bail water from his basement for three hours.

The City of Regina tweeted shortly before 5 p.m. Friday there would be road closures on Pasqua Street, between 25th and Parliament Avenues just north ofLeipert de Montas' home as crews "repair thesewer system."

A sinkhole also opened up on Pasqua, near the Parliament intersection, some time before the August long weekend. City officials were not able to clarify whetherthese incidents are connected.

'Everything is brand new'

Marcia Ayuban didn't noticeasmell until her husband and children arrived at their Pasqua Street home around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

By the time they checked the basement, she said the floor was covered in six inches of water.

"The sump pump was like a fountain," she said. "It was bubbly and even had a sound like, 'blub, blub'."

On Saturday morning, Ayuban said her basement has beengutted. Flooring and furniture replaced five years ago after rainstorm flooding, was all damaged.

"Everything is brand new in my basement," she said. "I'm getting sick to my stomach because of the smell."

Ayuban said herinsurance company will be making an assessment Tuesday. The family has been without hot water since the sewer backup because theheater is likely damaged.

"I was crying. I couldn't sleep for two nights because I have little kids," she said. "I'm hoping the city will help us out."

Restoration companies busy

Kyle Jakes is the owner of property restoration companyWINMAR in Regina.

On Saturday, he said his restoration crewcleaned six homes the day before, and were working steady.

"One [home] we were at yesterday had about two feet of water that affected the entire basement," Jakes said.

A representative from ServiceMaster Restore working along Pasqua Street said his crew had attended around nine homes.

The City of Regina acknowledgedCBC's request for an interview Saturday but were not able to commenton thebackup.