July 30, 2004 – In a Government House release issued Friday afternoon, Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood stated that there is "a manhole overflowing" in the area of the Walter I.M. Hodge Housing Community and that "a collapsed sewer line is suspected to be the cause."
According to the release, Public Works and V.I. Housing Authority personnel "are currently evaluating the situation and anticipate having the problem corrected within the next few days."
On Wednesday, Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett had said in a release that sewage was flowing from a manhole in same locale and that Division of Environmental Protection personnel were monitoring it. (See "Public Warned about Sewage Flow at Walter Hodge".)
Friday's release did not indicate whether the manhole described was the same one cited in the Wednesday release.
According to Callwood, "Corrective measures are being taken to repair this problem as the members of the department's Engineering and Utilities Division work diligently in evaluating the situation and devising a repair plan to alleviate the problem from re-occurring."
Much as Plaskett had done in the Wednesday release, Callwood in the Friday one advised "residents with impacted immune systems to avoid the area during this time, as the sewage may contain contaminants that will negatively impact one's health."
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