EXCLUSIVE: 7 On Your Side gets action after raw sewage pours into UWS apartment

UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A woman living in a NYCHA apartment in Manhattan said a broken pipe in the wall keeps spilling gallons of water into her home, and dozens of requests for repairs went without action.

7 On Your Side Investigator Jim Hoffer worked to get answers and quick action to help the woman through this exclusive report.

Larissa Green ended up spending her July 4th day off from work mopping because of a broken pipe.

Every hour or so, it would gush and dump another 20 gallons of water into her apartment.

We asked how often she's had to do this.

"So far, two weeks, every day about every two hours," Green said.

Rather than make emergency repairs, she said NYCHA gave her a bucket and mop to clean up every time the gusher spews water from above.

"If they use the bathroom, I'm getting all of that feces in the water, this is mildew and feces," Green said. "You smell the foul odor yes sewage water."

Fearing for the health of her son and daughter, she sent them to live with her aunt until the pipe is fixed or she is moved.

That means she didn't get to spend July 4th with her children.

She said she's tried for months to get NYCHA to fix the leak filing request after request better known as a ticket.

Reporter: "It's ticket after ticket after ticket where you are requesting this pipe to be fixed?"

Green: "Yes, yes sir."

She said NYCHA keeps fixing the water-damaged wall rather than the busted pipe.

"The pressure of the water busted through this wood," she said.

On this July 4th, Larrisa longs for freedom from a broken-down apartment that has enslaved her to a mop and buckets of stress.

"Never knew I was going to be moving into a trap. This is what this is a swamp," Green said.

Late Tuesday afternoon, a NYCHA spokesperson in a statement said:

"This is unacceptable. All of our residents deserve to live in safe, clean homes. Staff is there now repairing the leak temporarily, and a plumber will permanently fix it tomorrow."

We spoke with Green, who confirmed that a worker arrived this afternoon and is there now trying to fix the leaking pipe.

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