Broken Sewer Pipe

[amstel nl]

A broken sewer pipe located in a dirt floor crawl space of a commercial kitchen has resulted in an underground cesspool where flies multiply and circulate in food preparation areas. It could have been leaking for years unnoticed. What would be the health and environment concerns and what action beside fixing the pipe and spreading lime on soil should be considered. Thanks for your advice.

[Phil_HParticipant]

OnTheLevel,

I do not know the answer to your question, but I would like to express a couple concerns I have.

Lime is pretty caustic stuff. I personally would not want to crawl around down there for a long long time without adequate protection from the lime. I am assuming you wish to use the lime to break down the solid waste rather than disinfect the area. Personally, I would pursue options which removed the solid waste and then disinfected and sanitized the soil with something that disapates like chlorine bleach.

I knew a man who was very sick for a year with hepatitis (sp?). The cause for his illness was beleived to come from doing the same kind of work underneath a restaurant.

Again, I do not know your answer. But I am concerned about your approach. Do you have a local health department whom you can ask.

[GuestParticipant]

Please tone down your posts.
[Edited by Moderator on 23 May 2001]

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