BLANCHESTER, Ohio — A Blanchester woman has been living a "nightmare." Tina Christman said sewage has been overflowing into and around her home repeatedly over the last few years — and it’s making her sick.
"This was my first little house I got,” Christman said with tears in her eyes. "I was excited because I was homeless for two years and I finally got a place."
It was supposed to be home sweet home, but she said issues began after about a year.
Over the last four years, Christman said sewage has flooded her home about 10 times.
"Poop," she said. "It’s sewer."
She’s documented issues in pictures and video but said her pleas for help have gone unanswered.
"They said they can't help me," Christman said. "Nobody can help me with this. I'd just like to know why."
An employee at the Village of Blanchester told WCPO that because the issue is occurring on private property, it’s not their jurisdiction.
Christman owns her home, but the lot is owned by Blanchester Mobile Home Park.
Blanchester Mobile Home Park responded to a WCPO request for comment on Wednesday and emailed a report they say was filed by the state Department of Commerce.
The report sent from Blanchester Mobile Home Park appears to be from the Ohio Department of Commerce; it says an official conducted an investigation at Christman's home on July 21.
The document says the official discovered "discolored bathroom tissue on the ground under the home" and around the home's t-joint sewage pipe, but no raw sewage "being actively discharged" in the area. The report orders the soiled tissue must be cleaned up by Blanchester Mobile Home Park within 30 days.
Blanchester Mobile Home Park also forwarded an email allegedly from the state, confirming violations had been corrected.
WCPO has requested any reports relevant to investigations into Christman's home from the state, but has not received a response.
Michelle Oakley, a representative for the park, told WCPO that every time Christman has called the park, crews have been sent to check out the lot. Oakley said crews have never observed any issues with sewage backing up from the ground, the manhole beneath the home or from the trap that goes into the ground.
If Christman is having sewage issues, Oakley said it would be in the lines within her home. Oakley said the park is not responsible for those lines.
"We are not slumlords," Oakley said.
Another neighbor in the mobile home park told WCPO crews that her mother’s lot had experienced similar sewage issues too.
Oakley said another tenant had called in a sewage issue, but the park determined it was coming from the tenant's line.
Christman said the flooding she's experienced has exacerbated her medical issues and made it harder to breathe. Her dogs have had health issues too.
"My dog ate some of the sewer because it flooded so bad,” she said. “I’m afraid they're going to get sick and die on me and that's not fair to me.”
Christman said she’s also tried contacting the state and governor’s office. WCPO crews saw an employee from the state inspecting the property Tuesday.
"I don't sleep nights. I’m up with her," said Joyce Welch, Christman’s mother. "It’s a nightmare in here. It's a place you wish you could walk away from."
It’s not that simple for Christman.
"I’m on disability and I can’t," said Christman. "I put everything I had into this. Everything."
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