LANCASTER, OH (WCMH) – Tensions were high at the Lancaster City Council meeting Monday evening.  Some residents fed up with raw sewage in their basements.

“You’re telling us to put test plugs in our da-n drain?  Or can’t put a bathroom or basement?” asked one resident at the podium.

Mayor David Smith said the city placed backflow preventers in some of those homes a few years back to fix the problem, but now some of those no longer work. The problem is at some of the homes along beacon street.

NBC4 spoke with homeowners back in July. Holly Love had had inches of sewage in her basement.  She said she feels exactly the same as she did a month ago.

“Kind of angry ’cause they don’t have any remedies. At least they’re saying they don’t have any remedies,” said Love.

NBC4 spoke with mayor David Smith who said the sanitation lines for these homes was put in during the during the 1960’s and 1970’s, and regulations were different then.

“What we see, the obvious problem is the homes are too close. Deep basements are very close to the lateral lines going into the sewer lines. When the system is full, there’s backflow and it comes up at the lowest point of the relief like any other open pipe system,” said Smith.

Smith said the city is trying to figure out why the sewage problems are happening at random.

Residents said they feel ignored.

“I have great concern. I said it tonight. I said it when I went to the homes of those people. I said it to them when they were on the phones to me asking what’s the city going to do now,” said Smith.

Smith said he’s hopeful they will find a solution to this problem very soon.