PENFIELD, N.Y. — A Penfield couple is asking the town to help pay for septic system repairs after discovering they were never connected to town sewers, despite paying sewer fees for 13 years.
Sue Leader and her husband thought they were connected to the town sewer system when they bought their house in 2011. Tax bills show they have been paying for the connection since they moved in.
“Back in 2024 we had some issues with our toilet,” Leader said.
When Leader called a plumber, he discovered they were actually on septic. Leader said they lived in the house for 13 years under the assumption they were on sewer.
After digging several holes, they eventually located the septic tank in their backyard. The tank was severely impacted and required two pump-outs.
“We had our septic tank pumped. They had to come twice because it was so impacted,” Leader said.
The couple contacted the town. At first, the public works foreman insisted they were tied to the sewer system.
But after several tests running dyed water through the plumbing, it was clear the water was ending up in the septic tank and not the sewer. Leader said had they known they were on septic, they would have emptied and maintained it over the years and would not now be stuck having to dig up their yard to replace the plugged leach field.
“When all is said and done, we’re close to like $10,000 that we are paying out of pocket for something that was not our fault,” Leader said.
News10NBC Reporter Brett Davidsen reached out to the town of Penfield for comment. No one from the town would speak on camera for this story. But in an email, a spokesperson said the problem appears to date back decades when a previous owner of the property applied for a sewer permit but never followed through on getting connected, likely due to the expense.
The town is planning to refund some of the Leaders’ sewer usage charges. But there is only a three-year look-back period allowed, so about $460.
When asked if the town plans to help the Leaders financially to repair the septic system, the spokesperson wrote, “The town does not believe it is responsible for any additional reimbursement.”
Davidsen: “How would you describe the emotions you’ve gone through?”
Leader: “It’s just frustrating. It feels like somebody said it’s like David fighting Goliath. We’re not asking much. I just felt like it’s not our fault and we’d like some help from the town.”
Leader has since shared her frustration on social media. What she discovered is she is not alone. Other people commented that it had happened to them as well.
News10NBC Investigates: Penfield couple charged for sewer service discovers they were never connected WHEC.com.
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