ORLANDO, Fla. — An Army veteran and new Orlando homeowner is looking for answers after she says a city water line clog caused water to back up into the only bathroom in her home. 

• Orlando water line clogged with grease caused backup in home
• Homeowner paid out of pocket for plumber to assess problem
• City agreed to reimburse her, says clog has been fixed

The plumbing problems occurred a little over a month ago at a home in the 3000 block of Abaco Street in Orlando. Alicia Gordon says she was in the shower when she heard a bubbling noise. 

“The toilet overflowed all on the floor, and black sludge came up the drain,” Gordon said. 

Gordon says she then called a certified plumber, who determined the issue was with a city water line. Gordon paid the plumber almost $500 to assess the problem.

For weeks, she has been looking to reach out to the city to recoup those costs. 

“I called a plumber and they couldn’t find an issue, so I called another plumber during the regular work week on Monday to do a follow-up and the camera sensed it was a city issue,” Gordon explained. “I’ve been kind of sent different directions on send it here, send there — the lack of communication has been kind of unprofessional."

Gordon says she received an email from the city late Tuesday afternoon. She is expecting a check from the city later this week, but she got no word on whether the problem has been fixed.

A note left at Gordon’s home identified the issue as grease in the piping.

“I haven't seen any signs or gotten any notice that the job has been taken care of," she told us. "I was just told it would be handled as soon as possible."

We reached out to the city public works department about a resolution at Gordon’s home, and they provided the following statement:

“When an issue is reported the city requires a certified plumber to do inspections in order to determine whether the issue is on the city side or the customer's side. For this case, there was a blockage in the main line leading to the home. 

The customer is responsible for the maintenance and internal cleanliness of a lateral; specifically all plumbing from the public sewer into and including the house plumbing.  However, for this case, the city has decided to reimburse the home owner for the cost of the certified plumber to come out and inspect the line to the home.”

On Thursday morning, city officials told Spectrum News 13 that the line has been cleared of clogs.