Employees worked through the night March 9.
AUBURN – Sewer district trustees discussed ways they could show appreciation to employees who worked through the night March 9 after about 25,000 gallons of raw sewage flowed into the Androscoggin River.
The board discussed sending each employee a letter of appreciation and the possibility of giving them a breakfast, dinner or a barbecue. They also discussed doing it jointly with the Water District trustees. A decision will be made at a later date.
The problem stemmed from a broken six-inch water main on Newberry Street that caused water to channel downhill, taking down trees and eroding a portion of riverbank. It washed away soil over and under a 36-inch sewer pipe, causing a 60-foot section to become exposed.
The sewer line sagged and opened up at a pipe joint allowing a flow of about 50 gallons per minute into the river, district Superintendent Norm Lamie said.
The district notified the Maine Department of Environmental Protection immediately when the break was discovered. Lamie said a DEP inspector looked at the repairs on Friday. He said he doubts the district would be fined.
“A lot of people came together. We minimized the amount of sewage getting into the river,” Lamie said.
District engineer John Storer told the board that the site is cleaner than it was before the washout. He said there was garbage at the location.
The cost of the repairs has not been totaled, Lamie said. The exact amounts will be presented to the water and sewer district boards in April. “The Water District will take care of the water main break and the Sewer District will take care of the sewer main break,” Lamie said. “The maintenance of sewers account will take a good hit.”
Financial officer Bill Harnden said there was a considerable amount of overtime paid to employees.
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