Sewer Blockage Pushes Waste Into 300 New York City Homes
NEW YORK (AP) — A blocked sewer main flooded basements Saturday with brown filth and left residents in the neighborhood near New York City’s Kennedy Airport feeling sickened by the stench.
A water condition caused the backup, pushing human waste into about 300 homes in Jamaica, Queens, officials said.
Officials have a culprit in mind: cooking grease that’s been poured down the drain.
It tends to congeal into big masses that slow or stop the flow of sewage, leaving it no place to go but back up the pipes. In some places around the world , the grease balls have gotten so enormous they’ve been described as “fatbergs.”
“This time of year we get a lot of grease blockages in sewers from residents that discharge grease," city environmental protection chief Vincent Sapienza told reporters. “We’re under the assumption that it’s that.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio said crews were making repairs and bringing in pumping equipment to clear up the mess.
The city’s water agency says drinking water is safe and unaffected, but de Blasio advised residents to reduce usage to cut down on water going into the blocked main.
De Blasio says American Red Cross and city emergency management representatives are at the scene to help families displaced by the sewer back up. The city opened a service center for affected residents at a nearby public school.
De Blasio said the city was working to provide hotel rooms to anyone who was unable to return home.
Cynthia McKenzie said she woke up around 3 a.m. Saturday to an odor she thought was a gas leak, only to realize that sewage water was rushing into her basement.
As the water level rose, McKenzie said she raced to move furniture and other belongings — but some electronics couldn’t be saved. After a few hours, she said, her whole neighborhood was awash in fetid fluid.
McKenzie said she called 911 and the city’s 311 help line soon after discovering the sewage. A few firefighters eventually showed up, but she said none of the city services could stop the flow of sewage.
McKenzie said she bought two pumps from Home Depot and ran extension cords and a hose to try and clear water from her basement, but the rig hardly kept up.
“There’s still some at knee level,” she said. “The odor is just unbelievable.”
Related News
From Archive
- North America 2024 Pipeline Construction Outlook: New LNG Terminals Lead Call for More Pipelines
- DeLa Express seeks FERC approval for Permian-to-Louisiana gas pipeline project
- OSHA penalizes Houston contractor over safety violations resulting in worker's death
- Fiber infrastructure has no known expiration date, Fiber Broadband Association research concludes
- Nevada OSHA fines Elon Musk's Boring Company over safety violations in Vegas tunnel project
- Ditch Witch 1030
- Michigan lawmakers introduce bills to create septic codes throughout the state
- Indiana American Water to gain 8,000 water customers with Silver Creek Water acquisition
- Arkansas governor allocates $42 million for water infrastructure projects
- Federal judge finds Flint, Mich, in contempt over lead water pipe crisis
Comments