NOTTINGHAM, Md. — Repair crews have been a constant for three days now, working on Pikehall Place in Nottingham where a sewage problem is preventing people from using their water.
“We can’t shower, go to the bathroom, use the washing machine and dishwasher,” said Tim Burke. “It’s been a long three days.”
Work began this week as an upgrade with crews attempting to fix cracks in the sewer lines.
The county brought in a contractor out of Virginia that uses state-of-the-art liners, saving taxpayers the cost of replacing lines.
The company, called AM-Liner East, said the job would have been done in a single day, if only residents had heeded the notice not to use their water while the repair was underway.
“I heard that someone took a shower when they shouldn’t have and did something on that side and that means a few days of progress set them back,” said Bridget Wiley, as she watched the trucks lining the street in front of her home.
A project manager with the company said even five gallons of water during the repair is enough to undermine it, but in 20 years of business, it has only happened a handful of times and the extra work is typically covered by insurance.
Still, some residents said they think something stinks here, and it’s not just them for want of hot showers.
“With federal infrastructure dollars, this street needs to be torn up and repaved anyhow,” said Burke, “This is an attempt by the county to save money by using these epoxy resins. They inject it into old pipes to try to repair all the cracks, but I think long-term, it’s not the right solution.”
