Broken sewer line expected to be repaired by weekend

Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

A broken sewer line that dumped an unknown quantity of untreated sewage into Pittman Wash and closed a walking trail is expected to be repaired by this weekend.

Henderson and Nevada environmental officials said testing shows there's no evidence that the spill has contaminated drinking water from Lake Mead and that no one is in any danger. The Pittman Wash leads into the Las Vegas Wash, which in turns feeds into Lake Mead.

Test results for the channel surface near the broken line aren't available, but no problems are expected since the channel is dry.

The break in the 21-inch plastic line that runs along the northern wall of the Pittman Wash, east of Valle Verde Drive between Windmall Parkway and Candle Bright Drive, was discovered on Monday.

Henderson officials suspect the breakage in the line happened over time but may have finally given way completely following Sunday's heavy rains that flooded the channel and destabilized the bank, said Kathleen Richards, spokeswoman for the Henderson Utility District. The pipe is about 20 years old, she said.

"We are still trying to determine that. We don't know what happened," Richards said.

The sewer line carries untreated sewage to the city's water reclamation plant at 200 Athens Avenue. The city has yet to complete calculations on how much sewage may have spilled into the running waters of the Pittman Wash, Richards said.

Utility officials will analyze the flows in that portion of the pipe versus flows in other areas.

"We may never know the exact amount," Richards said.

Henderson and state environmental officials don't expect the spillage to create any problems. The contamination was likely diluted by the channel flow and sewage isn't toxic. The water from Lake Mead is treated before it is used for drinking.

"We are monitoring the water quality and nothing has come of it," Richards said. "No one is in any danger."

Crews worked overnight Monday to create a 75-foot temporary channel in the bank to divert the sewage flow through the line, Richards said. On Tuesday, the city used pumps and temporary piping to reroute the flows and began preparing the site for installing a 230-foot section of pipe that will be reinforced with concrete to hold it in place, she said.

That work is expected to be completed by Friday or Saturday, she said. The presence of construction equipment on the site prompted the city to temporarily block a trail along the northern edge of the Wash until the work is completed.

The channel floor is about 25 to 30 feet below ground level. The piping is about 20 feet from the top and was buried in the wall until the collapse exposed it. Sewer lines are sometimes put in such channels to avoid putting them under streets.