NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans officials are fast-tracking work on a broken sewer line that briefly had them considering dumping sewage into the Mississippi River.
The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board adopted an emergency declaration Wednesday to fix a valve on the line in the Gentilly neighborhood. The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate says the declaration will speed up the bidding and repair process.
Crews discovered the problem on Dec. 2 and tried for hours to get the broken valve open. As sewage backed up, the agency considered dumping it in the river to prevent it from spilling onto streets or causing an even more serious blowout.
Executive Director Ghassan Korban says they were eventually able to contain the situation and didn’t need to take that step.