A sewer main break in New Orleans’ Industrial Canal is still discharging sewage as crews work to assess the damage and stop the flow.
The Sewerage and Water Board said the break, involving a 54-inch sewer force main, was likely caused by a vessel around 7 p.m. Friday.
Officials said they were not alerted to the damage until Saturday morning.
The Sewerage and Water Board is actively monitoring the situation and working with dive crews on-site.
The board said it has ordered parts needed to isolate the break, which will help stop the sewage discharge. Those parts are expected to arrive later this week.
Divers are working to determine the full extent of the damage, but the work is proving to be a challenge.
“Everything is by feel; there is zero visibility in this water. You’re lucky if you can see an inch, so everything is by feel, and you pretty much just draw a mental note of it,” said Josh Lambert, a member of the diving crew. “Right now, we’re still tracing the energy lines, the power lines that run across it, and making sure everything is shut down and that it’s safe for our divers to keep and remain in the water.”
Lambert, who has been diving for 12 years, said the job is not easy, and it could take some time to find the root of the problem.
“It could take five minutes. It could take a day. It could even take a year,” said Lambert.
Earlier, crews erected a fence around the site, and divers plan to return to the water Monday afternoon.
Water was seen bubbling up in the canal, and a foul odor remains in the air near the break, growing stronger the closer one gets to the site.
READ MORE:What we know about the sewer main break in the Industrial Canal
