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Flooding continues to be problem for Pittsburgh neighborhood

PITTSBURGH — Following years of problems and millions of dollars in investments, flooding continues to be a problem on Hayson Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood.

Heavy rain Thursday night brought more flooding for neighbors.

Larry Jones said it was the fifth time his garage and basement had filled with water since 2018.

“I’m just at a loss and don’t know what to do. I can’t sell my home now because of this issue,” he said.

Jones’ wife was home when yesterday’s downpour came, and their house quickly filled with water.

“She said she was scared for her life to go down the stairs. She was afraid of an electrical hazard and smelled gasoline because one of my devices tipped over and spilled gas. She was worried the house was going to explode.”

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The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has invested $1.8 million in the area to try and resolve flooding issues, but neighbors say the problems persist.

Jones says PWSA crews were out cleaning sewers and catch basins last night.

The utility is also paying for the restoration and offering to connect Jones with an engineering firm to find a solution.

A PWSA spokesperson confirmed they’re starting a pilot program to deal with repeated flooding on Hayson Avenue.

Jones hopes the latest plan will work, but after years of flooding, his patience is wearing thin.

“I’m retired and on a fixed income. I don’t even want to live in the city now, just because of my disgust with the way PWSA has handled this situation.”

With the chance of heavy rain on Friday and into the weekend, Jones is preparing with sandbags. It’s something he’s getting used to and will have to continue doing until there’s a solution.