Oct 11, 2019 4 min read

Washington officials are working with the Washington-East Washington Joint Authority and an Addison Avenue homeowner to resolve a months-long sewage problem.

Since April, sewage has been leaking into the backyard of 880 Addison Ave., where a family of six resides. The “absentee” landlord hasn’t fixed the problem, the tenants haven’t moved, and the neighbors haven’t gone outside all summer because of the smell.

“It’s a private property issue, other than the public’s health and safety concerning that sewage,” Mayor Scott Putnam said this week.

He and other members of City Council said at their Oct. 3 meeting that they want to do what they can to resolve the issue, which poses a potential public safety concerns. A neighbor, James Shultz, complained at that meeting that the smell has kept his family indoors for the past five months.

“My son didn’t go outside all summer,” he told council members. “Do we wait until one of our kids get sick?”

The woman who lives there with her husband and their four children has been trying to move her family for months.

“There’s six of us so it’s a really bad smell,” said the tenant, who requested her name be withheld. “My children haven’t been outside in our backyard since April. It’s been really difficult.”

She said they first noticed sewage backup problems around Thanksgiving. By March, the landlord, Jonathan Mosely, sent a plumber to snake the line, she said. In mid-April, they noticed the sewage leaking into their backyard.

According to city code enforcement officer Ron McIntyre, the property changed hands in the last five months. Both previous and current homeowners have been cited for plumbing system hazards.

“It’s a property maintenance problem. That’s why I issued them a citation,” McIntyre said.

McIntyre said Michael Powers, of Denver, Colo., was the previous homeowner. On May 10, McIntyre issued Powers a $150 citation, which was paid, though nothing was fixed, McIntyre said.

Mosely, the current owner, of New York City, is listed as having purchased the property in August for $35,000. Mosely said in an interview last week that he had purchased the property prior to that but he had issues getting the deed immediately transferred.

“I’ve been going through this since May,” Mosely said.

He said he will fix the sewage problem, but he’s “afraid” of the woman who lives there and afraid of damage being done to the property.

“She won’t let me in the house or on the property,” he said. “I don’t want any conflict, I just want her off my property.”

The tenant said she has not threatened Mosely and that when he’s in town, he usually avoids her.

“Last time I tried to speak to him, he dodged me a few times,” she said.

Mosely claims the woman owes him more than $5,000. He allegedly started an eviction process three months ago, but didn’t show up for the hearing. The case was dismissed.

“I’m filing a fresh case,” he said. “I need her to leave the property.”

The tenant said she paid half of the $850 monthly rent in April, but hasn’t paid since because she wanted Mosely to fix the sewage problem.

The eviction papers arrived July 12, and the hearing was July 24, she said. She signed a one-year lease in May 2018. They are still paying the utilities while they try to find another place to live.

“We’re trying to move, but my husband is the only one working right now and we’re trying to get by,” she said. “A lot of our things were boxed up, and my kids are playing out of boxes because we’re trying to move.”

As of Tuesday, the utilities – water and sewage – were still connected to the residence. Putnam said he and council are working with WEWJA and Mosely to discuss ways to resolve the issue.