Normally water falls from the sky in the form of rain or snow and seeps into the ground. But in parts of Cheltenham Township the water table is so high after so much rain and snow the ground is oozing water. In the 500 block of Shoemaker Road it is actually flowing out of the ground.
Nearby at Ogontz Park at Church and High School Road parents watched as kids played, many of them completely oblivious to the danger that lurked nearby on Tookany Creek where untreated sewage flowed.
Cheltenham Township officials have placed a number of small signs on the perimeter of the park warning people to avoid the sewage contaminated Tookany but many people hadn't noticed.
"I didn't even read it when I came in, when I came with the kids I didn't even see it," admitted Dawn McGinley.
"Considering this has happened, I thought they would have sent out some kind of public notice," said Keke Shukwu.
The township manager told Action News the 70+ inches of snow and all that rain that followed has kept the water table so high and this has been happening off and on for the last few weeks. He said it's causing sewer lines to overflow. He added that township engineers are working on short term and long term solutions to eliminate the problem.
In a corner of Ogontz Park township workers were setting up sand bags and hay bales along with barricades to contain the overflow of sewage from Tookany Creek. They also attempted to release the overload on sewage lines by releasing some of the sewage into the creek after removing solid materials and treating it with chlorine.
Officials said that while there is no danger to drinking water children and pets should be kept away from Tookany and Frankford Creeks in both Montgomery and Philadelphia counties and that no one should fish in them until further notice.