SOUTH BEND – Will an ongoing flooding issue in South Bend lead to lawsuits?
An attorney plans to hold a meeting next week with homeowners who live on Calvert Street.
Last week, Charlette James had more than a foot of water in her basement. James has lived in the home for almost 13 years.
Like others in the neighborhood, she never had flooding problems until the nearby New Energy Ethanol plant shut down in November.
The ethanol plant pumped gallons of water out of the ground for the decades it was in operation.
City leaders say they're doing what they can to help, but the city is not liable.
Homeowners say that's not good enough.
Many have contacted a Notre Dame Law Aid Clinic attorney who has agreed to look into their concerns for free.
“You would think the city would know would know whether or not this was a flood zone when we moved over here, if it was okay to build over here or not,” said James.
Some homeowners say they want to pressure Mayor Pete Buttigieg to have the city pay to have a well station put in the area to draw the water out of the ground and away from homes.
