Crews with the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) are working around the clock to repair a broken force main in South St. Louis County. The break is near the intersection of Christopher Drive and Nellie Avenue in the southeast corner of the Oakville area.
The break was discovered Tuesday morning after a property owner reported sewage in the area. MSD crews quickly responded, located the break, and called in an emergency contractor to excavate and make repairs. Crews will work through the night and expect to be finished on Wednesday or Thursday. Cleanup and disinfection will take place after repairs are complete. Sewer service will not be affected, but access to Christopher Drive may be restricted around Nellie Avenue while repair work is being done.
Warning signs have been posted in the area, advising the public of the overflow, which is expected to be approximately 300,000 gallons. While there is no immediate threat to public health or safety, everyone is asked to avoid any creeks and streams in the immediate vicinity until everything is cleaned up. Anyone who comes in contact with sewage should immediately and thoroughly wash with soap and water.
A force main is a sewer line that uses pumps to transport wastewater. Pumps and force mains are necessary when gravity alone is not enough to move wastewater through flat areas or over hills to a wastewater treatment plant.
This is the second break along this force main this fall. The last break happened while contractors were repairing the main, after a small leak was discovered during a routine inspection by MSD staff. MSD will do a thorough investigation into the condition of the main and other factors to determine how to prevent additional breaks in the future.
MSD has reported the break to The Missouri Department of Natural Resources.