Communities

Work proceeding to unblock sewer line

ELKINS -- The City of Elkins Wastewater Collection Department and the West Virginia Division of Highways are continuing work to unblock a sewer main under Randolph Avenue this week.

The sewer main is partially blocked by a rigid foam that is used to stabilize roadways. It is not yet clear how long it will take to clear the line.

"The product in question is a stabilization foam that gets injected under roadways to fill cavities and cracks that can develop under a heavily traveled road like Randolph Avenue," Bob Pingley, operations manager for the City of Elkins, said in a press release. "It gets applied in foam form, then it expands and becomes rigid."

This product was applied by a contractor under Randolph Avenue between Park Street and College Street earlier this year.

"The foam seems to have entered the sewer line in multiple locations and has caused pretty significant blockage to varying extents along that whole stretch of Randolph Avenue," Pingley said.

The Wastewater Collection Department is using a chain cutting head attached to the vacuum hose of its Vactor truck to grind the foam out. Because of the blockage, workers have not yet been able to determine how far the blockage extends.

"With the foam that is still in the way, we haven't been able to get a good view with our camera down along the line," Pingley said. "We might find the end of the blockage in the next five feet, or it might be another hundred feet or more. We sure do regret the inconvenience and we'll get it wrapped up just as quick as we can."