A Northwest Iowa woman has a big mess in her home. A mess she's having a hard time getting cleaned up. Just two months after Nancy Shonts moved into a home in Holstein, Iowa, she started noticing excess water, sewage and slime in her basement.

She considers it a good day when there's less than five inches of water and sewage floating in her basement.

Shontz says, "Sometimes it's like raw sewage coming up and there's like slime. It looks like mud, like goop, or whatever, but it's pink and slimy."

Shontz and her son have a broken sewage main on their hands. They see, smell and feel the wrath of the problem every time they do laundry, dishes or even shower.  The city says it's Shontz's responsibility to fix it, but for a hefty price.

Shontz says, "It is too much money. They want $25,000 for it and I don't have $25,000 sitting in my back pocket."

Shontz says she's in need of a loan, but city officials say because of her income level, she simply doesn't qualify.

Holstein City Administrator, Mark Baker, says, "These folks kind of fall between the cracks of the social net. There are funds available, there are programs available, but so far they haven't met the eligibility requirements."

Shontz is certain this problem existed before she moved in, but since she bought it from a private seller she's having difficulty proving it. She hopes her situation will forewarn other potential homebuyers.

Shontz reminds folks to, "Have it checked first before they even move into a house."

And until shontz gets the help she needs, daily activities many of us take for granted, for her, are done sparingly.

Sewage main breaks always have the potential of developing a sink hole. If this happens, the city says it will provide a loan to fix it. Shontz would have 30 days to pay back the city. To that, Shontz says if she doesn't have the money now, she won't have it in 30 days.

The city says it's only responsible for main lines... Not the lines that extend from them.