Contact 9: Sinking Yard

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A Baton Rouge woman says her yard is sinking and she’s blaming it on the city.

Josyln Juge said she has noticed the change happening over the 14 years she’s lived there. She added after buying her house in 2009, the city of Baton Rouge installed a new sewer line using heavy equipment over her property.

“So, I let him go ahead with it,” explained Juge. “I didn’t realize at the time the damage it was gonna cause to my yard.”

She noted that because of that work, the ground in her backyard is sinking and the cement in her driveway started cracking.

“I have sinkholes in my backyard,” she added.

Those sinkholes are so unsteady that she said she fell in one last year. She ended up with bruises and a broken nose, injuries she’s still recovering from.

No one with the city would go on camera to talk about this, but a spokesman did send me copies of service requests showing the work that has been done.

One request shows crews washed and cleaned the pipes and the basins in front of her home. Another found an offset pipe with a restoration time within four to six weeks.

“We addressed any issues we found, but did not find any significant issues with the pipes that would cause sinkholes along the sewage pipe in the back yard,” read a statement sent by the city spokesman.

Juge said she fears the worst.

“Does it take for somebody to fall out there and hit their head and die? It doesn’t make any sense,” added Juge.

She said she’s called the city of Baton Rouge for years and has talked to several people, but nothing has been done.

“I have not heard one word from anybody. No call. No visit. No nothing,” she explained.

The city did send a staff member back to the home to take another look at things. Officials said they will look into the issue with her driveway.

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