Clogged line forced raw sewer into downtown Corbin waterway

Fifth Street resident Robert Daniel walks his dog along a foul smelling portion of Moore’s Branch, on Steele Street, last Friday. The creek was polluted by a sewer leak the City Utility Commission officials have since corrected.

A plugged sewer line caused the discharge of raw sewage into a downtown Corbin waterway late last week and over the weekend, but officials with the town’s utility company say the situation has been resolved.

Residents along Fifth and Steele Streets say they first noticed the foul smelling discharge darkening the waters of Moore’s Branch last Wednesday. The situation worsened until finally they called officials with the Corbin City Utilities Commission Friday to get something done. The stream, which runs right alongside homes on its winding path down through the heart of the city, was pitch black Friday and had a strong odor.

"It happens every now and again and it can’t be healthy," said Robert Daniel, a resident of Fifth Street. "You could tell there was obviously something wrong."

David Dodd, Water and Sewer Maintenance Superintendent for CUC, said Monday that officials identified the problem on Saturday – a plugged sewer line along Fifth Street.

"The internal pressure of the main forced some stuff out into the storm sewers and out into the creek," Dodd said. "It was kind of odd. It’s something that does not happen real often, but it does happen occasionally and we do our best to correct it. This particular line does not have a history of doing that."

Dodd said CUC workers discovered a lot of "solids" in the sewer line and cleaned it out. On Sunday, Moore’s Branch was flushed with about 17,000 gallons of water from fire hydrant in order to wash away the sewer and odor.

The incident was reported by CUC to the Kentucky Division of Water’s local enforcement branch in London. Dodd said reporting of sewer discharge is required by law.

"It wasn’t terribly bad, but I would encourage children who play down there to stay away for a bit until we get a good rain," Dodd said.

Officials noted that ongoing sewer line rehabilitation has lessened the number of incidents like this by controlling the amount of groundwater that seeps into the sanitary sewer system, and by preventing root intrusion.