Woodhaven shithouse

From the Queens Chronicle:

The home at 80-87 88 Ave. in Woodhaven has been leaking raw sewage from a broken pipe on the side of the house for months and the problem appears to have only exacerbated. Now, the sewage has frozen into a dangerous sheet of yellow and brown ice along the sidewalk and in the street.

Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association, said the home has been a problem for a while.

“It’s pretty disgusting,” he said. “It’s a real quality-of-life issue for the neighborhood.”

Outside the home, the sidewalk on 85th Street was covered with a sheet of ice for over a week. The leaking raw sewage freezes at night and, since the location of the leak along the side on the house on 85th Street is such that there’s little direct sunlight, stays frozen for most of the day.

The foot or so of snow that fell on the neighborhood last week didn’t help at all. Piles of shoveled snow in the street created a dam of sorts that backs up the leaking sewage onto the sidewalk.

The house itself doesn’t appear to be in any organized condition. On its front porch, children’s toys sit stacked and lined up. Rugs and clothing are strewn across the back fence.

The home is owned by Noris Requena. A phone number registered to Requena at an address in South Richmond Hill is out of service and no one answered knocks on the door Tuesday morning.

A reader who sent this link to me said the response he got from DEP was:

The Department of Environmental Protection investigated this complaint and determined that no repair is needed.

DOB failed to investigate either of the complaints filed this year.

Be glad it's February and not August...