Derby Water Pollution Control Authority workers were busy Tuesday trying to unclog a sewer pipe on Route 34 in east Derby.
The clog caused water to blow off a manhole cover on vacant land between Smoke n’ Bones restaurant and the BP gas station.
John Saccu, chairman of the city’s WPCA, said the blockage wasn’t causing sewage to flow into homes or business. State environmental officials are monitoring the situation.
But traffic was heavy on Route 34 west as workers explored the pipe.
As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Saccu said employees couldn’t find the location on the blockage.
However, Saccu said the city is acting on the assumption a piece of concrete was the culprit. A recent car crash in the area took out a utility pole, Saccu said. When a contractor working for United Illuminating came to replace the pole, the contractor accidentally drilled through a Derby pipe, Saccu said. Debris from that accident could have finally made its way down the pipe, Saccu theorized.
The broken pipe in question had not given the WPCA a problem previously, Saccu said.
