91-Year-Old Maine Woman Stuck With $28K Bill After Sewer Backup

A 91-year-old Saco homeowner says a sewer backup turned her life upside down and left her facing tens of thousands of dollars in damage that she never expected to pay.

According to WGME, Elsie Boudreau says she still remembers opening the door to her breezeway last September and being overwhelmed by a terrible smell.

“I thought, oh my lord, what is that?” she said. “The stench was so bad.”

She soon discovered the source was raw sewage that had backed up into her basement, leaving several inches of water throughout the space. Boudreau says she had to leave her home that night and could not return for nearly a month, WGME reported.

Her finished basement was devastated. Carpets, paneling, furniture, and personal keepsakes were all removed and thrown away.

“It was many things that bring back memories that are now gone,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

The WGME iTeam explained that Boudreau said cleanup costs alone topped $28,000. Her homeowners insurance covered some of the damage, but she was left paying the rest out of pocket.

City officials later told her a bath towel had blocked part of the sewer system on nearby Franklin Street, affecting several homes, though she says hers suffered the most damage, the news station reported.

When she filed a claim with the City of Saco’s insurance carrier, it was quickly denied. The letter stated the city was not legally responsible because there was no prior knowledge of a problem.

Public Works Director Travis Moore said there were no known issues in the area before the incident and that crews routinely inspect sewer lines with cameras to look for potential problems.

Under Maine law, municipalities are generally protected from liability unless they knew about a hazard and failed to act.

The city did install a backflow preventer on Boudreau’s sewer line at no cost after the incident, but she says that does little to ease the frustration.

“They’ve never had to wait for me to pay my taxes,” she said. “Shame on you.”