Fresh Water, Foul Sewage
Multiple sewer leaks in a 1920s pipe finally fixed, DPW says
Gwynns Falls was recipient of an estimated 580,000 gallons of sewage water
Above: The sewage leaked into the Gwynns Falls just north of the historic Carrollton Viaduct. (ce.jhu.edu)
A series of breaks in an ancient sewer main have been stopped two months after the first of the breaks was discovered.
A new lining, installed in a 940-foot section of pipe under the 2500 block of West Lexington Street, has plugged the leaks, the Department of Public Works announced today.
The sewer line dates back to 1928 when rowhouse Baltimore was expanding into present-day Shipley Hill in southwest Baltimore.
Since August 25, when DPW employees discovered the leak, the pipe has been steadily leaking sewage into a storm drain that flowed into the Gwynns Falls.
DPW estimates that 580,000 gallons were dumped into the stream after the leaks were identified. There was no estimate of how long the pipe may have been discharging sewer water before that.
An early attempt to stop the leak via a sewer bypass did not stop leaks further down the pipe, according to DPW.
“Once engineers realized there were additional leaks coming from the connections between segments of the sewer line, they began working on a more comprehensive solution,” the agency said in a media release.
Dye testing confirmed that the leaks were stopped around noon Thursday.