CANTON, Conn. -- A simple flush of the toilet in Canton last March had a long-lasting, expensive effect.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News I-Team reporter Eric Parker reported the flush triggered an explosion and turned into an enormous environmental cleanup.

A prominent Canton family is fighting over unpaid bills with the Mormon Church that moved in next door.

Parker reported there has been trouble on all sides figuring out who should pay for the $800,000 flush.

Flush Sparks Explosion

When it was announced that the lot between Pete and Jean Bouchard's farm and Route 44 was going to become a Mormon Church, the couple was happy.

"I thought they'd be a good neighbor, a much better neighbor than having a business there," Jean Bouchard said.

An explosion rocked their lives before the church opened. The Bouchards' tenant, who lives in a separate building on their 12-acre property, flushed her toilet last March and heard a huge boom.

"She was just scared to death, of course, because she didn't know what happened. She said, 'I don't know, I just flushed the toilet and the shed exploded,'" Jean Bouchard said.

The explosion was triggered when the electric water pump housed in a shed kicked on and created a spark. Propane gas that had built up in the shed's basement ignited.

On the night of the explosion, Pete Bouchard told Eyewitness News that he just wanted to get back to quiet life on the farm.

"We're just hoping that we can get back to the farm and grow our vegetables," he said.

Investigation: Propane Line Ruptured Due To Construction

What began with a response by firefighters and police officers continued for weeks as the Bouchards were overwhelmed with testing wells, soil monitoring and heavy equipment.

The couple had drinking water delivered for months because propane gas was found in their well. The couple took photographs in the weeks following the explosion.

"It has not been an easy year, and we're 75 years old and we didn't need this," Jean Bouchard said. "We've been here for 36 years. The church was here for less than a year, and this has happened to us."

An investigation revealed that the propane line was ruptured while crews were installing sidewalks at the church, Parker said. The propane leaked out into the ground and ended up going right across the property line and built up in the basement of the shed that used to sit right next to a house.

"This is right from the (state Department of Environmental Protection): This was the largest propane gas leak in the state of Connecticut, and possibly, in the nation. They estimate about 15,000 gallons of propane had escaped from the lines," Jean Bouchard said.

Couple: Church Not Responsive

While the hassle was frustrating, the Bouchards said it got worse when the church turned out not to be the good neighbor they expected. The couple said it took 10 months for the church to reimburse them for the loss of their shed and for lost rental income. They got that check last Thursday after the I-Team began asking questions.

The Bouchards still haven't received any money for legal fees or for the lost profits because of a missed year at their roadside vegetable stand. They also hired an appraiser, who told them the value of the property dropped perhaps by as much as 10 percent.

The couple said trees and blueberry bushes appear to have died, which were also worth thousands of dollars. The Bouchards said they believe there should be some money for the emotional trauma that they said has affected their health.

The Bouchards wouldn't put an exact figure on the loss because bills continue to come in, but they said it runs into the tens of thousands of dollars. They said the church hasn't responded.

"It just appears that they don't feel they're responsible," Jean Bouchard said.

"We just want to get this cleared up so we can get on with our lives" - Jean Bouchard Video: Canton Couple Says Chursh Owes Them Money

Who's At Fault For The Leak?

When the I-Team began digging, it found that no one wants to take responsibility for the propane leak.

At first, Superior Energy, the propane company, was believed to be at fault. It backed away once the Canton fire marshal determined something or someone had broken the underground pipe. Superior Energy now said it's not its fault.

An attorney for Superior Energy told the I-Team: "When this matter is disposed of, it's our position that Superior Energy will be completely vindicated."

The Canton fire marshal said his work was done once he found the leaking pipe because no criminal investigation was launched. Who caused the leak was never determined.

"We found a hole in the piping at the church," Canton Fire Marshal Adam Libros said.

"You never determined how the hole got there? What caused the hole?" Parker asked Libros.

"Through my investigation, that's not a determination for me to determine," Libros said.

Parker said that meant the only person left to blame was general contractor C.S. Margison. The company's president, Doug Margison, told the I-Team: "It's my understanding that all the insurance companies involved are handling this matter. My company has cooperated fully throughout the process."

The Bouchards have been told to submit claims to those insurance companies to get reimbursed. They said that process began 10 months ago, and they still haven't received everything to which they think they're entitled. The couple has hired a lawyer and fought over specific amounts, claiming to be owed thousands.

Parker said the couple understands that, legally, the church didn't physically break the pipe that caused the leak, but since it can't be proven who did it, they think the church, as the property owner and their neighbor, should take care of them.

"This came from their property and it seems to me it should come from them, but our attorney has to go after the insurance companies of the contractors," Jean Bouchard said. "Maybe that's the way to do it, I don't know, but I don't think it's right."

Church: Money Couple Received Reflects Generosity

Ahmad Corbitt, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said the money the Bouchards just received from the church for the shed and rent, plus bills the church paid along the way, reflects the church's generosity.

"When this all happened, the church hadn't even taken possession of the property," Corbitt said. "We were as surprised as anybody and feel like we're also victims to some extent."

Corbitt said the church fronted money to the Bouchards that would have taken longer to come from insurance.

"When we found out that the Bouchards had this unfortunate incident happen, we did everything we could to try to remediate the situation," Corbitt said.

Corbitt also emphasized that the property is in the final stages of being completely restored environmentally. He said issues like lost income from the farm stand, diminished property value and attorney's fees have not been paid because the actual dollar amounts haven't been proven.

"Anything that's been documented, the church has had the ablilty to encourage others to deal with it. The insurance company also wants to see documentation, and that's part of the process," Corbitt said.

The church said it's also eager to get the whole situation over with, and it's proud that there have been no lawsuits filed so far. The church hopes all sides will get the money they deserve at an upcoming church-sponsored mediation.

"(We hope) to participate in mediation in good faith, to come together and to try to make this situation fair for everyone, and we're optimistic that we're going to have a good result," Corbitt said.

"We just want to get this cleared up so we can get on with our lives," Jean Bouchard said.