By DJ Becker/The Madera News June 4th, 2024
An alert area resident narrowly missed driving into a 20-foot deep sinkhole filled with sewage in the middle of Avenue 13, in the area of Road 24 about 4:30 pm on Sunday.
According to Madera Public Works Operations Director Ismael Hernandez, the sinkhole was caused by the collapse of the original, at least 50-year-old, 48-inch reinforced concrete collector pipe that moves city sewage approximately seven miles underneath Avenue 13 out to the Madera wastewater treatment plant.
Drinking water city-wide is safe and supplied by a separate system from the water tower, which has not been affected by the outflow line collapse. The wastewater treatment plant has also not been affected and continues to operate as usual, according to Hernandez.
It was not known exactly when the concrete pipe failed but the sewage continued to flow to the treatment plant until the soil above eroded and caused the collapse of the pavement, he said.
“Our crews were out here immediately and they and the contractors worked through the night. We are currently using six large diesel pumps to bypass the area of the break, through the two 12-inch pipes back into the manhole beyond the area of the break. This allows the contractor to work on the area of the break and replace the pipe. The bypass is working now and the full pipe repair should be finished within a week,” Hernandez said.
“The only request now is for residents to please try and reduce the volume of water that goes down a (household) pipe, to try and avoid overwhelming the temporary lines. Reduce the length of showers, postpone laundry, or running the dishwasher just for a short time.”
“We were very fortunate the resident driving saw and avoided the sinkhole, and no one was injured. We avoided disaster and having to retrieve the vehicle from the bottom of the hole with a crane,” Hernandez said.
This is the second collapse of the original collector trunk sewer line in this area of Avenue 13, with the last incident being in January of 2023.
Federal ARPA funds have been previously secured by the City of Madera to prevent future collapses by relining and stabilizing the interior of the failing seven-mile-long collector line to the wastewater treatment plant. That construction process is out for bid and is scheduled to begin in July of 2024, according to city officials and the repairs should prevent future incidents in this main line.
