This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

STATEN ISLAND — Giovanna Gambino says she loves her home on Ionia Avenue, but hates the city tree in her front lawn.

“I’ve been battling the city for over a year. I’ve spent more than a thousand dollars on repairing my pipes,” Gambino said. “I’m done.”

PIX11 reached out to the Parks Department and a spokesperson responded, “NYC Parks Forestry inspected this city tree today and spoke with the homeowner. We will be sending a crew to prune the tree for dead wood and branches within a week.”

They also say:

· The city does not reimburse home owners for plumbing repairs—tree roots cannot invade a pipe unless there is a pre-existing hole leaking water and sewage into the soil, which is illegal. Tree roots will follow water flow toward the source to exploit the nutrients.

· The comptroller’s office handles claims for reimbursement against the city. They can be submitted here.

· Root damage in a homeowner’s backyard is not within Parks jurisdiction.

If you have a story reach out to Monica Morales on Facebook at https://m.facebook.com/monicamoralestv/