City officials hope diverting water from the 24″ main behind this wall
will prevent a possible collapse
NEWBURGH – A large above ground sewer line has been installed at Washington and Colden streets in Newburgh as a means of preventing the potential collapse of a 24-inch main behind a crumbing retaining wall at Renwick and South Water streets in the city. That main carries half of the sewage generated in the city, which can amount to between three million and nine million gallons of raw sewage daily.
City Manager Michael Ciaravino briefed the city council that if the wall fails, it could result in “catastrophe” at that location.
“We need to stop the flow of that sewage, which is what the temporary bypass pump is about in order to divert it so that we can get into that 24-inch main, clean it out and camera it to see what is going on,” Ciaravino said. ”Our concern is that there is a steep slope there and a surcharge caused by the steep slope and a resulting rotation outward may have actually disturbed that line and as a result it has effectively caused a disconnection from the Water Street connection.”
The state Department of Transportation owns the concrete retaining wall where the distresses were first observed in 2014. The DOT told the city it was working up plans to address the worst sections of the retaining wall where it is believed that sewage may be leaking from that pipe.
