Overflow System Clogs, Causes 'Geyser' Along 10th Street Bypass

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Commuters dealt with a unique problem along the 10th Street Bypass Tuesday morning.

According to officials at the scene, water started shooting high into the air from a manhole cover near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center around 4 a.m.

"This happens occasionally. It's from all the debris that comes down in these heavy rains, you've got tree trunks, you've got huge rocks, you've got all sorts of stuff," Alcosan Public Information Officer Jeanne Clark said.

Alcosan's system is designed to release overflow water from heavy rains right into the river.

However, that system failed when debris, mostly river rocks and bricks in the sewer, clogged everything.

"Our overflows are designed to open up and then close, but if something is stuck there and sometimes we even get things like car parts stuck in them, we've got to get in there and fix it," Clark said.

The entire system backed up and created the geyser, which was a mix of storm water and sewage.

Crews had to bring in a crane to go into the overflow area and pull out the debris.

As for the clean-up, crews sprayed an environmentally safe product all over the roadway to clean and disinfect.

Although the road is cleaner, you may want to avoid the rivers.

"The system has been in overflow throughout because of the heavy rain, and so the rivers are not as clean as they normally would be. So, right now, we're mostly warning people, you know, don't fall in the river," Clark said.

The westbound lanes of the 10th Street Bypass reopened around 12:30 p.m.

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