Work on repairs to sewer lines below Harrods Cree

Dozens of our co-workers left their regular jobs in engineering, communications and other departments this week to take up posts as flood pump operators at flood pumping stations along the Ohio River this week. The roster of 43 primary operators and 22 alternates was activated on February 12 to protect the city from flooding due to the rising river.

Bumblebee—the machine boring MSD’s Waterway Protection Tunnel—has reached the halfway mark in her quest to carve a 4-mile path through bedrock eighteen stories under Louisville. Named in honor of Muhammad Ali, the 412-foot long machine is under the area of Franklin and Buchannan streets. Soon, she will turn southeast and head toward the final destination of Lexington Road and Grinstead Drive.

This is a detective story that starts with a suspected smell of cat pee.

MSD’s Industrial Waste Department (IWD) manages various programs intended to safeguard against the exposure of industrial waste to our waterways.

Reports started coming in during the first quarter of 2019 about a strong cat urine smell in the Shelby Park area. The department, fearing possible water contamination, began searching for the source.

“It wasn’t a typical sewer odor, so it came to us,” IWD Programs Manager Mike Moore said.

Our phone system is currently under maintenance. If you have a customer related question or service call, please send a direct message to our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts. We will respond ASAP and are sorry for the inconvenience!

When Michael Fitzner’s suggestion of “Bumblebee” won the contest in 2018 to name the machine boring MSD’s four-mile long Waterway Protection Tunnel, he was awarded a chance to go into the tunnel with five coworkers. On December 5, Fitzner, with Latoya English, Adonis Henderson, Patrick Meador, Cemal Mitchell and Kayla Sheckell, loaded into a large metal cage and were lowered 220 feet down the working shaft into the tunnel via a crane.

MSD contractors have finally been able to reach the bottom of the 35-feet deep repair shaft next to Harrods Creek in Prospect. Mobile cameras inserted into the pipe revealed the damage is significantly worse than expected. Both pipes under the creek have significant breaks.

The repair project is more comprehensive than initially thought, involving discussions with state and other regulatory agencies, and other utilities. Repair plans are contingent on dialogue with these agencies. MSD customers will continue to have no interruption of their sewer service.

MSD has submitted two applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding through the Kentucky Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (KYEM/HS) as a sub-recipient.

Can you dig it?

You can find out on January 30, 2020. MSD will outline upcoming opportunities for doing business with us at our annual “Can You Dig It?” event. Join us Thursday, January 30, 2020, from 10 AM to Noon at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, 1701 W Muhammad Ali Boulevard. Learn about our 2020 construction projects, how to register for bid notifications, about our Community Benefits and Supplier Diversity programs.

RSVP at msd-can-you-dig-it-2020.eventbrite.com.

MSD today took steps to further reduce noise disturbance from the temporary pumps used to route wastewater around the sewer repair site behind Harrods Run Road and Timber Creek Court in Prospect. Insulation was added to the roof of the pump house and more straw bales were placed around the perimeter of the site. The insulation and additional straw will reduce the amount of noise escaping the pump site.