A sewer overflow caused by heavy rains continued to surge Thursday afternoon, raising health concerns for waterways in Northwest Baltimore.
Maintenance crews worked vigorously to install a bypass pipeline to reroute the nearly 500 gallons a minute that gushed from the sewer line, said Kathy Powell, spokeswoman for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.
“There are no valves on sewer lines so it just keeps on flowing,” said Kurt Cocher, spokesman for the Department of Public Works. “This is a big job. We?ve had problems like this that can take days to repair.”
The overflow occurred at the 2800 block of N. Dukeland Street near Lake Ashburton reservoir , but away from the surrounding residential area, officials said.
“There is no worry so far about the reservoir,” said Olivia Farrow, assistant health commissioner for the Environment in Baltimore City. “We are not worried about this affecting drinking water.”
The overflow was caused by the heavy rains coupled with old pipes. The Dukeland Street sewer pipes and many others across the city may soon be replaced or repaired as a result of the recent $900 million decree to the Department of Public Works for such projects, Cocher said.
The overflow may take time to reroute, Cocher said, because there are very few manholes nearby.
