A clogged manhole caused sewage to leak from utility system pipes in Pine Bluff but it did not contaminate the environment. Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility manager Ken Johnson said the incident occurred Thursday afternoon around Brump Bayou, a creek that runs into Bayou Bartholomew. Pine Bluff has 480 miles of sewer lines and 8,000 sewers.
“We corrected the problem and things are working properly now,” Johnson said. “We appreciate customers calling and letting us know when there is a problem. There is no fish kill or any environmental damages. From that standpoint, the public need not be alarmed. It is a situation that happened with a manhole. We opened the manhole to ensure that the sewage could flow freely through the system. … Once we do get notified, we take corrective action.”
Johnson estimated about 250 gallons of human waste escaped. His crews cleaned it before it seeped into the ground or water.
“We had a stoppage with the sewage spilling out of the manhole,” Johnson said. “We corrected the spillage. It has been taken care of.”
Manholes become clogged periodically.
“It is nothing uncommon,” Johnson said. “These manholes are in remote locations. We are in the wilderness. … There is no evidence of environmental damage.”