Flood damage to a home in Appleton after damage to the sewer system. September 17, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Residents in Appleton near Xavier High School are asking for answers. Their homes have flooded multiple times over the past year.
“We have had four floods in our basement; we have a finished basement,” said homeowner Amy Pollom. “We no more than got it done, two days later it flooded back up again. It’s pretty much half the square footage of our house.”
They have walls torn up, belongings destroyed and had to relocate a bedroom after sewage came up through a drain.
Ben Heinen remodeled his home office in his basement after it flooded. Not a day later, it was filled with sewage again.
That cost is building up.
“More recently I calculate it would be over $18,000 in the costs that we had between restoration, new carpet,” Heinen explained. “And that doesn’t even factor in our time and labor and having to wade through our, you know, all the crap on the ground.”
This same neighborhood also had to deal with tornado damage in July.
While the homes are in Appleton, the neighborhood is connected to the Grand Chute sewage system, which has deteriorated. According to the town, officials have been working on a permanent solution since damage was found last year.
We asked the town what’s being done to mitigate flooding.
Public Works Director Jordan Jolma declined an on-camera interview, but he wrote in an emailed statement:
As an interim measure, the Town installed a temporary bypass pumping system designed to reduce the risk of sewer backups during significant rain events while the permanent project is being designed and permitted. The Town continues to monitor the system and make improvements as needed.
Residents said that pump has failed twice in the time since it’s been installed.
“They’ve done things to fix it, but it just seems to keep failing,” said Heinen. “And us and all the neighbors around here, we have to basically be on pins and needles every time that there’s rain in the forecast.”
Residents say they were instructed to file insurance claims with the town for the damage.
“We all invested quite a bit of time to put together all the pictures, put all the details together. And gave a very conservative estimate of the costs, just came back, their insurance company said big fat zero,” Heinen added.
The town told us its insurance company evaluates individual claims based on specific circumstances.
Pollom said while their claims are denied, the flooding is causing more than damage to their homes.
“Our insurance has dropped us. Because we had, at that time we had three claims for the flood in a short period of time and our insurance dropped us. So now we have to hunt for new insurance, obviously we’re going to be paying higher premiums because we had these claims that could have been prevented.”
Town officials say construction is scheduled to begin on the pipes next year. The delay is due to the need for collaboration with railroad authorities and the Wisconsin DNR.
The statement continues:
The Town is continuing to work with its engineering consultant and the appropriate agencies to move the project forward while maintaining interim measures to reduce the risk of additional backups.
We still have questions for the town that went unanswered.
- What are residents expected to do during the interim between now and when construction finishes?
- Why is the town denying insurance claims for the flooding?
- How many homes have been impacted by the damaged sewer system?
You can read the full statement from Grand Chute Public Works below.
The Town is aware of the recurring sanitary sewer backups affecting Appleton residents in the Weatherstone neighborhood, whose homes are connected to the Town of Grand Chute’s sanitary sewer system. The backups have occurred during or immediately following significant rainfall events, and the Town understands the concern and frustration these incidents have caused for affected residents.
The Town has been actively addressing the issue since the reported backup in 2025. Following investigation of the system, the Town identified deteriorating sanitary sewer infrastructure in the area and initiated a permanent replacement project.
As an interim measure, the Town installed a temporary bypass pumping system designed to reduce the risk of sewer backups during significant rain events while the permanent project is being designed and permitted. The Town continues to monitor the system and make improvements as needed. Affected residents have also been advised to install backwater prevention devices as an additional interim precaution.
The permanent replacement project is currently being designed and permitted, with construction scheduled for 2027. The project requires coordination with two separate railroad authorities in the project area and sanitary sewer permitting through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Town is continuing to work with its engineering consultant and the appropriate agencies to move the project forward while maintaining interim measures to reduce the risk of additional backups.
The Town and its insurer evaluate individual claims based on the specific circumstances and applicable law. The Town will continue to document and evaluate incidents and work with affected properties through that process.
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