ELSA – An Elsa man says he is fed up with the smell of sewage at his home. He tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS it has been around off and on for the last 20 years.

When he cannot use his own bathroom, James Lara says he runs down the street to a restroom in the nearby store.

The city blames wet-wipes for the sewer issue.

“My sewer line starts backing up. I've had this problem for the past – going on 23 years. I've dealt with the city many times. They put a band-aid over it and it comes back again,” said Lara.

On Friday, his toilet was clogged, but the mess already cleaned up.

More evidence lies in his backyard. A cloudy water line reaches the brim of his valve.

Lara leaves both valves open so some pressure is released.

“Yeah, trying to clear it out. Just in case we use the shower or whatever, so it can back up and come out this way. It's gotta be fixed,” he said.

City of Elsa Director of Operations Renee Rodriguez says stuck drains are a notorious problem for the area.

He says a crew stopped by Lara's neighborhood, near Mile 6, earlier Friday and took care of the blockage.

Rodriguez adds the main perpetrators are baby wipes. He warns not to flush them, even when the package says they are flushable.