Broken Prospect sewer pipe condition 'worse than expected'

LOUISVILLE, Ky (WDRB) – A broken sewer main in Prospect is in worse shape than officials first thought and may require state intervention.

In November, a 30-inch pipe broke, sending more than 1 million gallons of sewage into nearby Harrods Creek.

Metropolitan Sewer District officials said Monday that two pipes were damaged, which they did not know until they sent cameras 35 feet below ground.

Myron Shuster, who lives near Timber Creek Court, said the situation has proved challenging for homeowners.

“Our home is not our castle, right now. It has been pretty rough,” he said. “I was under the impression that this project would be finished maybe towards the end of January and apparently that is not the case.”

Up to 5 inches of rain this weekend could delay the project even more, MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott said.

“If we do get the rain that they are projecting that will probably prolong the repair time because we are going to lose the site again,” he said.

Contractors have been working nearly 24/7 to fix the pipe but announced Monday it’s a project that is just too big to do alone.

“It’s going to require that we communicate with folks from the state regulatory agencies and other utilities to be able to move forward,” said Parrott.

Also concerning: the pipe is just 7 years old.

For now the overflow into the creek has been stopped, and MSD said the priority is keeping the site safe and to minimize the chances of it breaking again.

“We don’t know if it’s related to construction material or construction technique but that is something we are going to investigate,” Parrott told WDRB News.

MSD does not have a timeline as to when the pipe will be repaired. It also is unclear exactly how repairs will proceed or how much they will cost.

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