WASHINGTON — Sewage from the Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant that had been spewing into a creek, then a retention basin, is now being piped into a treatment plant, marking a major milestone in repair efforts.
However, a full repair is still at least a week away.
A 52-year-old cast iron pressurized sewer main at the plant, in Accokeek, ruptured last Thursday, causing about 3.35 million gallons of untreated wastewater to overflow into the Piscataway Creek, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission said.
Crews were able finish a second set of temporary piping and pumps early Wednesday, allowing the sewage to bypass the break and be pumped right into the treatment plant. A third set of temporary pipes are being installed as well.
It took some time to get to the break; it was under a concrete-encased structure that also had high-voltage lines. Those lines had to be de-energized and moved.
The replacement pipe is expected to arrive Friday and will take at least a week to install.
The pipe break had no effect on drinking water, the WSSC said; the water and wastewater systems are separate.
