Family gets water back after 14 days

EAST HAMPTON, Conn. (WTNH) -- For weeks, they've been struggling to get by without running water. After 14 days an East Hampton family is getting action.

Five miles to Salmon State Park spring to fill up, and five miles back. East Hampton's Katie Hall says her family has been doing that three times a day, day after day after day.

"You look back at these 14 days, how difficult has this been for you and your family," asked News 8's Jamie Muro.

"Pretty hard," Hall said.

Last week, she contacted News 8 when she says her landlord, Lena Ruitto, wouldn't fix a broken water pump. Ruitto stresses that wasn't the case, but this was what was told to News 8 last Friday by Ruitto and her maintenance man, Dan Cyr.

"Water by tonight," Cyr said.

That didn't happen. Cyr and Ruitto were back on Thursday, and they say our involvement made it almost impossible to find help from a licensed plumber.

"Yes it did," said Cyr, "it did, it scared everybody."

After warnings from the health department, Cyr brought the pump to life Thursday, with a new hose connection.

"This is called, like I said, a 'quick fix.' This will last, but it's not exactly code," said Cyr. "We're going to get a plumber in here, you watch."

""Most water we've seen in two weeks," Hall said.

"How's that look Katie," Muro asked.

"Pretty good," Hall replied.

Ruitto continues to say her tenants are irresponsible thieves, and it's time for them to go.

"My taxes are going up, I'm behind on everything, I have to evict them if they don't want to pay me," Ruitto said, "and they don't want to pay me."

"With that difficulty Lena, should you just sell all this," asked Muro. "With all these difficulties sell your properties and get out of the landlord business?"

"I've had them so long, nobody wants them," Ruitto said.

For now, the Halls are happy their road trips for water are over. The next order of business is to find a new place to live.

"I'm going to go sit in the bathtub for like six hours," Hall said.