Blocked sewer causes home backups
This was not the Thanksgiving delivery anyone wished for.
Wednesday morning at 8:10 the Warwick Sewer Authority got the first of several calls from an Armory Drive resident that sewage was backing up into their basement. Hardly three months ago the same thing happened to several homes in the area of Sandy Lane near the Public Works garage. That was traced to a collapsed pipe near the Cedar Swamp pumping station, causing the release of an estimated 320,000 gallons of wastewater near Buckeye Brook.
This time it was a collapse on Sandy Lane.
“We think it is a manhole,” said Janine Burke-Wells, executive director of the Warwick Sewer Authority.
As of 2:15 p.m. seven homes in the same general area reported backups.
Burke-Wells said she was putting out calls to all residences in the area, urging them to check their basements for possible wastewater. As for those who had already experienced backups, Burke-Wells said the authority was making arrangements for them to be put up in hotels if they wanted. She said insurance would cover those costs as well as the home cleanups.
“When dealing with water and sewage, err on the side of caution,” Burke-Wells said of the measures being taken.
Immediately following the location of the blockage, which caused the system being super-charged and backing up into homes, the authority erected a bypass using pumps down the center of Sandy Lane. That has averted additional backups, although Burke-Wells is urging area users to limit water use as a precaution.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Burke-Wells planned to postpone excavation of the sewer line, which will need to be done to permanently repair the problem, until after the Thanksgiving weekend.
Burke-Wells said because of earlier problems with the Cedar Swamp pumping station and feeder lines, the authority had a plan to replace aging area pipes. Now, she said, that is happening but on an emergency basis and at greater cost.
“We just got punched in the back,” she said.
Burke-Wells couldn’t also help but reflect on the timing of the break.
“It always happens at the worst possible time,” she said.
It is premature to estimate the extent of the repairs or how long it might take.
