PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A raw sewage hole in Portsmouth's Prentis Park neighborhood has been open and leaking sewage for months, according to neighbors who live there.
"Essentially, until we went down to city council the hole was basically wide open. They have two plates on it now. These orange, kind of long pylons weren't there. Kids were coming by looking into it, basically playing near it. There are lots of kids in this neighborhood, and that's one danger. [There is also] the smells, of course, the bugs, and when it rains, it fills all the way to the top, and the cones kind of fall down, so if people are driving down the street, they could run right into the hole," explained Portsmouth resident Troya Wright.
Wright brought the issue to city council several times—last November and, most recently, last week—but when News 3 reporter Erika Craven stopped by the neighborhood Sunday, he told her not much has been done.
"It's pretty messed up, but I think my main understanding is that the city has been letting stuff like this happen for a while," said Wright. "It's definitely not the workers' fault because they apologize to me every time I see them. You know, every time they come out here, they come out here twice a day to empty it out. Yeah, something's got to happen, and it's unsafe for them as well as our city."
A letter the neighborhood delivered to the city alleges city workers have been sent to drain the waste without proper PPE—digging in waste without hazmat suits or dig boxes—and the letter claims the open hole threatens the health and safety of neighbors and workers alike.
"I just think that having collective bargaining for these workers, letting them have a seat at the table would stop things like this from happening," said Wright.
The neighborhood thinks it knows how this happened—a years-long sewage issue, exacerbated by a ruptured gas line last November.
"All you really have to do is talk to people about the street being torn up ten years ago. They put in a whole new sewage line, and the workers have already guessed months ago that they probably just never connected to the main line," said Wright.
They've heard,"there's no money to fix it," and last week they heard the city say the issue was due to the aging home on the lot.
News 3 reached out to the city for comment but has not heard back. In the meantime, those who live here hope something is done sooner rather than later. They're asking for compliance of OSHA standards, immediate repair of the hazard, and respect and collective bargaining for city workers.
The letter states, "we can't let this toxic hole symbolize how the City treats those who live and work tirelessly to make Portsmouth better for everyone."
