METAIRIE, La. — Crews are still trying to get a handle on a gushing sewer main in Jefferson Parish. The pipe burst after rainfall from Tuesday's storms put too much pressure on it.
Workers were back at it Tuesday, trying to make headway in fixing a sewer main pipe that busted after Tuesday's storms.
"Trying to bypass some of the sewage away from this area and get it to other treatment stations to minimize what's going through here," said Parish President, Cynthia Lee Sheng.
The pipe, which carries both sewage and drainage, is a big one, serving about 3/4 of the eastbank. It's also old, which Cynthia Lee Sheng says was a big factor in the break.
"The system was like, from back in the '30s when we started developing here," she said.
The rupture has caused sewage and rainwater to gush out over West Napoleon and into the Canal for two days straight.
"If the water level starts to drop down we have the ability to open up some excess fire hydrants," said Public Works Director, Mark Drewes. "We'll flush the canal as a precaution to keep it diluted."
It eventually goes into the Suburban Canal, which flows into a pumping station by Lake Pontchartrain. It's then ultimately pushed into the lake.
"At the ratio we don't think it's a hazard now we're trying to get on top of it very quickly," said Cynthia Lee Sheng.
Officials say the fix isn't easy, and can be better assessed at night when sewage usage is low.
"We can get in and dig this up and assess the situation and hopefully do a temporary repair," said Mark Drewes.
Still, depending on weather, there's fear it could take time to complete.
"Obviously, this is a very pressing issue," said Sheng. "We know it affects business and this has been going on since February but we're really rushing to get the permanent result in."
To give you an idea of just how much strain is on these pipes, Sheng says it's estimated that when it rains, the sewer system will move more than 6x the amount of material than when it doesn't rain.
Eyewitness News also spoke with the Pontchartrain Conservancy's Executive Director, Kristi Trail. She says they are monitoring the situation closely. She says they will take a sample of lake water next week, and in the meantime urge people to not swim or recreate on the south shore.
