Dozens of tenants went more than a day without water service at their southwest Birmingham apartment until a Jefferson County commissioner intervened.

Residents of Four Winds West Apartment, just blocks from Rickwood Field, reached out to Commissioner Sheila Tyson for help after their water was disconnected on Thursday.

By late Friday, the water was back on. But Tyson and residents say there remains of list of a hazards and sanitary concerns.

“Our rent money is supposed to go toward the water bill, but they don’t pay the water bill. We’re suffering without water and under inhumane conditions,” John Williams told AL.com late Friday. “They just left us here with no water, nothing,”

AL.com efforts to reach apartment management were unsuccessful.

By late Friday, Tyson said she had contacted the managers and the Birmingham Water Works to arrange a payment plan to restore service.

“You’ve got people bedridden here,” Tyson said. “I had to broker the deal.”

Tyson said the company paid $5,000 Friday with arrangements to pay thousands more. While the water is restored, Tyson said a list of major needs need to be addressed, including sewage problems, structural hazards and substandard sanitation.

“It’s unsanitary, and I’m talking about rats and rodents coming around here,” Williams said.

Williams who has lived in the complex for eight months, said he is most concerned about the elderly and disabled residents who need immediate access to water.

He also described numerous balconies that are off limits because of the risk of falling through rotten wood.

“They tell you verbally ‘don’t go outside on your balcony,” Williams said.

Rents are subsidized through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tyson said she will meet with area HUD officials to discuss the problems and resident concerns.

“I want them to either start these repairs right now or shut them down,” Tyson said.

Tyson likened the situation to issues at Bankhead Towers, another privately owned apartment complex that is subsidized by HUD.

Bankhead Towers was condemned in October following longtime complaints about substandard conditions. That building now has new management and is undergoing repairs.