New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board repairing sewer main that caused massive hole in Lakeview Street
By Shay O’Connor
Click here for updates on this story
NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — Lakeview residents are concerned after they say an apparent sinkhole has developed in their neighborhood.
“If anyone walks up. A dog, cat, person, baby. A kid. A kid on a bike could fall in there. And you can see down there, there’s sewage and pipes,” said Nick Mauer.
Benjamin Chaplain said, “Property taxes are going up. Everything, still, and we are dealing with a hazard full of raw sewage around the block from my house where I have a newborn.”
The hole was reported on Walker Street between General Diaz and Memphis streets.
According to the Sewerage and Waterboard, the issue was reported as a sinkhole but proved to be a much bigger issue. But neighbors said what’s worse is the raw sewage-filled hole fills up every time it rains.
“We do not know what kind of mosquitos that’s going to bring. And there’s a ton of small kids in this neighborhood. We hear about the kids that drowned in Slidell and on the Northshore. If this fills with water, it is a safety concern,” said Chad LaRose.
Officials with the Sewerage and Waterboard say a broken sewer main was found on a concrete line.
When crews worked to fix one area, problems persisted down the water line, which caused the hole to become bigger. That’s according to a statement by Sewerage and Water Board officials. It was sent to WDSU Tuesday.
The Sewerage and Water Board said crews addressed some of the issues and contracted an outside company to help make the pipe stronger so further issues do not persist.
The hole is set to be filled this week until a contractor can line the pipe. Once the repairs are made, the pavement will be placed over the hole, according to the statement by the Sewerage and Water Board.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
