The Brief
- Neighbors in Greenfield are still dealing with the consequences of a water main break that caused home flooding more than one year ago.
- Damage from the break forced 79-year-old Janis Kramer to recently pay more than $20,000 for a sewer lateral replacement.
- Kramer regrets signing a form that discharged the City of Milwaukee from property damage claims arising from the incident.
GREENFIELD, Wis. – It has been more than a year since a water main broke in Greenfield, flooding nearby houses. Yet neighbors are still dealing with the consequences of that day.
Water main break
The backstory:
Video taken inside Janis Kramer’s sewer lateral shows that it’s filled with rocks and debris. She said the rocks are too big to flush out, and plumbers said the pipe must be replaced.
“You’re trying to figure out, ‘OK, what can I do? How can I afford this?'” Kramer told Contact 6. Replacing the sewer costs more than $20,000.
The costly problem began with a water main break at 37th and Kimberly in Greenfield in July 2025. Kramer estimates at least six inches of water flooded her basement. Her home is among at least 10 that flooded, including her next-door neighbor’s.…