SHADYSIDE, Pa. — Anytime it rains, water pours into the Ansonia Apartments in Shadyside. It’s a problem the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is going to start addressing.
“When that heavy rain comes, like the other day, we get about 5, 6 feet of water inside the apartments,” said owner Howard Valinsky. “It knocked the door off the frame ... took out three brand-new washers and three brand-new dryers.”
Valinsky said Holden Street and Maryland Avenue are prone to flooding. Over the years, heavy rainfall causes water to rise in the basement and sewage backs up through the toilet and tub.
“It’s just nasty. It takes a good cleanup to bleach everything. Shovel it out; hose it down,” he said.
Valinsky said he had to stop renting one unit altogether, leaving him out of $12,000 each year. He said the flooding is due to old pipes that PWSA hasn’t improved in years.
The agency told Channel 11 that it will begin construction on the Maryland Avenue stormwater project this summer. The first phase will include Howe Street and Kentucky Avenue between South Negley Avenue and College Street.
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