Chicago (CBS)-A CBS 2 viewer contacted us after she was tired of untreated sewage seeping into her home in Bronzeville.

But when she tried to fix it, she ran into costly trouble-now she issued a warning to others.

As Jermont Terry of CBS 2 reported on Tuesday night, homeowners in Bronzeville are often scared and see spare sewer water when it rains. The first call is usually to the plumber-but Ginneh Strickland warns others to call the city before paying.

Looking at the Bronzeville brownstone in Strickland from the outside, you wouldn't know that she has been dealing with a smelly problem for months.

Strickland: "Toilet paper, sanitary products-everything has entered my home."

Terry: "There is no doubt that this is sewage."

Strickland: "There is no doubt that this is sewage. I must deal with it immediately."

There was a tenant in the garden unit, and Strickland hired a plumber to solve her problem in time.

Strickland: "I won't let anyone live in that smell."

Terry: "Is it that bad?"

She replaced her plumbing to prevent backups-this involved digging underground in the backyard and was expensive.

"About $6,500," Strickland said.

But after completing her part, it was determined that the problem was not on her property.

"According to the plumber, it's at the end of the city," Strickland said. "He said he did his best."

The City of Chicago has a private drainage program where homeowners can receive compensation up to $20,000.

The city explained how it works: “It is recommended that residents return water repeatedly in the sewer, and it is recommended to hire a licensed sewer contractor. They will arrange for DWM house drainage inspectors to be present, and they will patrol the line at the same time. And video recording. If damage is found, DWM inspectors will determine the location and whether the repair meets the conditions for the replacement of the dedicated drainage plan."

But there is a problem-the homeowner must first be willing to pay the plumber $6,500 to determine whether the backup equipment is on the side of the city.

"I don't know what my neighbors have, but I don't know that all of my neighbors have $6,500 to hire a plumber and have them dig it in front of the city-maybe rolling the dice may qualify for the plan, maybe not," she Say.

Strickland solved the problem, and now she is not eligible for reimbursement-because the city government did not witness the work.

She warned everyone that if they had sewage to spare, they had to do one thing.

"Call the city first. Sign up for the program," Strickland said.

Strickland said she wished she knew about the project. In recent weeks, flyers about the Private Drain Program have appeared at the door of Bronzeville.

As for whether people actually paid $6,500 for a plumber to check spare equipment and get reimbursed, the city did not answer how much it had already paid on Wednesday night.