On November 4, after two days of rainfall, our basement like many others in Florissant and throughout North St. Louis County was filled with a combination of sewage and stormwater from the overcharged main sewer lines, owned by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD). 

For us personally, this was at least the 6th time in 12 years that we have been knee deep in "water" filled with excrement, bacteria, and waste.

Check Valves (also known as backflow devices) are not always effective- even those on our street and others who have them have still been affected. Insurance is no help either- we, like other homes affected in the past, have had to deal with being dropped by insurance at the end of the period because we made a claim, had difficulty finding insurance, and/or now deal with outrageously high home owners insurance costs.

This is not just about financial and material losses anymore though, this is a major health hazard due to negligence on the part of MSD, the City of Florissant and St. Louis County. 

This problem is caused by inadequate and antiquated infrastructure. Families in our community are suffering the effects of this neglect. This is collective concern that requires remedial action immediately.

Consider this alarming fact: On average, U.S. households experience more than one million backups per year, many of which are preventable with improved infrastructure (source: American Insurance Association). We call on the authorities to fix our overworked sewer system. This is not just a demand for us. This petition is for every household that has been affected by a sewage backup or who live in our community and care about it. 

Join us in demanding change. Protect our homes, protect our health, protect our community. Please sign this petition and compel our leaders to act now.