BROKEN SEWER FORCE MAIN ON LOS EBANOS JUST GOT BIGGER

By Juan Montoya

A sink hole created Tuesday when a broken force sewer main spewed sewage effluent under pressure that ate away at the road base near the intersection of Los Ebanos and Paredes Line Road just got a little stickier.

Nearby businesses say they have had to close because they lack running water. And the stench of raw sewage permeates the area of the break. Even though the Brownsville Public Utility Board workers appear to have replaced the broken main (behind the plywood board), yet more of the noxious liquid is filling the cavity, indicating that there are more breaks under the road surface. The five PUB employees in the photo seem to be keeping a close eye on the sewer lake.

Pipes extending from the broken main site have been placed leading down Los Ebanos toward McKintosh just before the frontage road to US 77-83 and workers are breaking through the asphalt there to investigate whether other breaks are present along the main force sewer line.

At the other sewer manhole, a crew of PUB (Primos, Uncles and Brothers) strike the familiar pose of leaning on shovels, hands in pockets, as one man directs the backhoe operator to scrape the pavement while the others stand around and watch. It kind of reminds us of the PUB logo above, where the dots represent the workers and the lines represent a water break. And on overtime, we're sure.

With Thanksgiving week just around the corner, the repairs could linger into the week after. If the restaurant owner at the corner planned on any business Turkey Day, he may have to forgo the profits until the parientes finish their work.)