By Howard Ballou - bio | email | twitter
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Imagine waking up to a backyard full of water every time it rains and compounding the problem, the water never really goes away.
That's what's happening at 1161 Primrose Street and other addresses in that south Jackson neighborhood.
The homeowner says the city is responsible and they are not helping; so he called 3 On Your Side.
Isaac Holloway wasn't expecting waterfront property when he moved into his house on Primrose Street six years ago, but that's what it's shaping up to be and that's not a good thing.
"The whole entire backyard floods," Holloway said. "It's like a river."
The flooding is so bad, it even destroyed fencing in Holloway's yard.
"I got a son. I mean, sometimes he wants to come out here and play and this never dries up, really, because once it rains, it keeps the whole backyard moist and he can't come back out here and run around and then we have to worry about water moccasins."
Holloway says this drain, owned by the city, is the cause of his and his neighbors' woes and everyone has complained to Jackson officials.
"Yeah, they're aware of the fact that it's a open drain, but they told me that they wasn't gonna do anything because they wasn't responsible for my private property, even though it's their drain that's flooding it." Holloway said.
After six years of trying to get the problem resolved with no success, Holloway says he is frustrated.
"You pay your taxes," Holloway said. "You try to do right and they don't care about you, as long as it don't personally affect whatever they're doing."
I asked the Director of Communications for the City of Jackson about the flooding problem on Primrose Street.
Chris Mims told me city workers went to the address ready to do the necessary excavation work; but he says, one of Holloway's neighbor's would not permit the right of entry, refusing to allow city workers on his property.
3 On Your Side will keep you posted.
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