Did an already cracked pipe simply attract the attention of a thirsty plant, or did the roots of a city-owned tree penetrate and damage a healthy drainage system in a Glen Park home? It’s a question one family says could cost them $10,000.

Anna Arniotis, 84, has been living on Steven Ave., near Marlee and Glencairn Aves., for 40 years. When her son Nick Arniotis visited last Friday, he was shocked to see the basement flooded with water. Anytime they tried to flush a toilet or send water down a sink drain, “water would come up,” he said.

He called the city to complain about the damage, which he said was caused after the roots of a city-owned Norway maple entered the basement and damaged pipes. When a city inspector came to assess the situation, Nick Arniotis said the response he was given was simply, “It’s not our problem.”

“They said, ‘it’s on your side,’” he recalled. “But it’s their tree.”

Nick Arniotis said his mother, who’s been living in the house alone for 10 years after her husband died, has had ongoing issues with the tree, which he estimates is around 55 to 60 years old. City inspectors have been called nearly 30 times, by his estimate.

“Usually they can do something, but now they go, ‘Oh, it’s out of our hands.’”

He said a plumber told the family on Friday it could cost up to $10,000 to replace the damaged pipe.

“Roots were coming out of the drain,” Nick Arniotis said. “That’s how bad it was.”

Bill Shea, director of Toronto Water, Distribution & Collection, said the damaged pipe is past the property line and is owned by the family, meaning it is not the city’s responsibility to replace it.

The city owns the stretch of sewer pipe that runs from the sewer main under the street up to the property line. Although the tree itself is owned by the city, Shea said it’s likely the crack in the pipe was not originally caused by the tree.

“The issue with tree roots can be complicated — tree roots do not typically create cracks in sewer pipes — rather a cracked pipe starts to leak and the tree root, searching for water, then invades the crack in the pipe,” he said.

Shea said he could not say whether that was true in this case, but that “is typical of what is seen when a tree root is the cause of a sewer blockage.”

Shea said he recognizes “this homeowner has experienced many issues,” and said the city is committed to working with the family on a solution.

“However the city will not replace pipes on private property,” he said.

Nick Arniotis said he doesn’t understand that position. “The city is saying ‘This is our tree, but those aren’t our roots,’ which doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said.

“If the roots weren’t there, there’d be no issues.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The tree is listed as “in good condition,” and is protected under the trees on city streets bylaw, said Jane Arbour, a spokesperson for the city’s parks and recreation department. Arbour noted that in order to remove the tree, the homeowner would be required to apply for a permit.

In a similar case, realtor Waleed Khaled Elsayed told the Star last month that the roots of a 300-year-old red oak were threatening to undermine the structural integrity of a house in North York.

The city had earlier expressed interest in purchasing the home to save the ancient tree, potentially one of Toronto’s oldest, Elsayed said, adding that if it doesn’t, the homeowner will be forced to cut it down.