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I wouldn't call it a case of the tenants "willfully" using a broken system; what else are they supposed to use? However, the fact that the sewage system IS broken lies directly on the landlord's head and I, for one, would notify any and every municipal authority that could possibly get this fixed. And if that didn't work, I'd danged sure call the local news station. That landlord is not only putting his tenants' health in danger, he's also doing so for the adjacent neighbors. He seems to epitomize the classic definition of "slumlord", imho.
Don't think you need remediation for poo. Unless they're pooing heating oil and/or heavy metals.
Actually human waste is classified as a biohazard and would require remediation. I would also venture to say that the homes closest to the hazard could actually be deemed unsafe or unhealthy due to said biohazard. That's how disease is spread both airborne and pest born. Were this me, I'd be on the phone to at least the health department if not emergency services as they are putting your health at severe risk.
Why are you blaming the tenant and not the landlord? They may have been complaining for months. Even if the landlord doesn't know, YOU can contact them directly or otherwise complain to the city. Of course with your detailed description of "a woman with 9 kids and a stream of adult males" it's pretty clear who you really blame, regardless. It could just as easily be a married couple with 2 kids - it is STILL the landlord's responsibility.
Yup, owner knows (voice confirmation of picture text received) ~ but this is an owner who had to be taken to small claims court after he cut down roughly 300sq/ft of tree screen on my property because he couldn't be bothered to buy $300 worth of trees OR hand me $300 for the replacement trees after I bought them. The court awarded us $1000, which we're getting at about $20/month. Never mind about being bothered to learn where his own property ended, which is conveniently identified with a low block wall. I expect nothing from his end unless legally forced, and even then it will be the absolute minimum.
I've tried the city and state health departments, county doesn't have a weekend number OR voice mail. Building dept/code enforcement doesn't do weekends either (have to go through the "city", and the "city weekend" number is simply the police dispatch who have called the only number they have available and are Willing to call.)
Maybe tomorrow/Monday I'll be able to get some traction.... the county offices are still closed on Mondays, but I *might* be able to get city code enforcement. Would love to simply have to water turned off so they can't make the situation worse at this point....
I got into a similar situation once, with a local LL who owned several rentals in my neighborhood. He was known to harass people in order to get them to sell their houses to him, and he started in on me.
Long story shortened, he reported me for building a fence w/out a permit, I defended myself, and in so doing, unknowingly revealed to city enforcement a violation on his part. Sweet justice, turns out they didn't like him much, and wound up fining him and giving me a retroactive permit for the fence I built.
I'm betting the city already knows this guy is a sleaze.
It's a slum-rental with maybe 12~15 people in it right now (I know the "mother" has 9 kids, and there's an endless stream of adult men) and I think it's been going on for ~2 months. It's only just gotten warm enough for the stench to become apparent, and there's a privacy fence between the yards. We'd noticed standing water starting ~2 months ago, but it's been a heavy rain winter too.
Called the city, their on-call guy came out and said it was on the house side, thus not their issue. He figured it was a broken sewage line.
Thankfully my father-in-law is a water-well driller and has a close relationship with the County environmental health guy, so we're going to get the County involved on Monday. I'd love to get this slum-rental deemed uninhabitable (kids have shot vehicles, vehicle windows, house windows, etc.. ~ frequent bass music annoyances between 10pm and 4am, etc...), and I'd Desperately love to drive the slum-lord to the financial breaking point with ground soil remediation/have the house condemned (it really is a POS house and in the 2 years I've been in my house it's only been occupied by to worst of the worst people, LEO's are there monthly if not weekly).
Just sick to my stomach from the situation, AND the stench (nevermind the poo runoff in my yard).
Oh yea! Get the county or whatever authority has jurisdiction involved. Screw the landlord. This is a pretty serious health issue with high risk of communicable disease. Hepatitis A-B topping the list. If the tenants are as...savory...as you say, who knows what other pathogens could be swimming around in that mess. Actual soil remediation may not be required, but here locally such a mess would be required to be cleaned up, I believe it does say removal of topsoil down to 12 inches and sanitization done. Ive cleaned up smaller scale messes before. Dug out the saturated ground and used Tide with bleach over the area. That satisfied the county.
County/city regs vary. But raw sewage is no twinky deal. I would think your local health and housing authorities would be laying bricks from their rears with this. And the broken pipe IS on the landlord. I've had business with slumlords before on issues like this. It often turned out they knew about things and just didn't act. As you have noted their tenants aren't generally to bright either. If a landlord refuses to act in such a situation, the tenant has a right to call someone to fix the issue and bill the landlord. I despise slumlords. I was never kind in my billing practices with them. Leaving something like this to languish and effect adjacent properties as well.
The last such thing I worked on was similar to this, though a bit smaller scale. The tenants had sent him letters and called a few times as well begging him to fix it. Deaf ears, so they called me. The tenants were a bedridden disabled lady and her caregiver son. I had to call in the county since the main waste was toast all the way to the county main. Collapsed by roots. The owner never even showed until I was wrapping up, and then whined about how I did it. Telling me he didn't think all the work actually needed to be done. Every time he opened his mouth I mentally ticked up the bill. He was beyond an a$$. He screamed bloody murder when he got the bill, which I had itemized to the penny for everything I did.
He tried complaining to the contractors board, and after one phone call to me about it told him he was sol. Pay the bill. They also talked to the county about it as well who verified and inspected my work. The slumlord was not warmly received with his whining after the whole story came out. I personally wouldn't hesitate a bit to call in an authoritative airstrike on your situation.
Yup, owner knows (voice confirmation of picture text received)
~ but this is an owner who had to be taken to small claims court after...
Maybe tomorrow/Monday I'll be able to get some traction....
A couple blocks over... a couple of neighbors got together and bought a problem property.
Pitched in on the work to clean it up and then sold it about a year after.
They may have even made a few dollars too but they got a good neighbor out of it.
A couple blocks over... a couple of neighbors got together and bought a problem property.
Pitched in on the work to clean it up and then sold it about a year after.
They may have even made a few dollars too but they got a good neighbor out of it.
A friend of mine did that. Made some money, and sold the house to a great guy who appreciated what a cute house it is, and is taking good care of it.
Hepatitis A
Typhoid
Cholera
C-Diff
Most of the common forms of food poisoning
Yep, not a problem at all...
I'm not saying that sewage isn't dangerous, I'm saying it probably wouldn't legally require soil remediation.
That's pretty disgusting. Hopefully the OP can get the place condemned as unfit for human habitation until the LL gets the line fixed, though there's the danger they'd condemn his place as well.
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And the broken pipe IS on the landlord. I've had business with slumlords before on issues like this. It often turned out they knew about things and just didn't act. As you have noted their tenants aren't generally to bright either. If a landlord refuses to act in such a situation, the tenant has a right to call someone to fix the issue and bill the landlord. I despise slumlords. I was never kind in my billing practices with them. Leaving something like this to languish and effect adjacent properties as well. 
