Sewer line breaks, sending part of Ohio park into river

The 100-year-old stone sewer line discharges about 12 million gallons of rainwater and sewage each year into the Ohio River.

Jan. 5, 2017

Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park. Photo: Cincinati Parks

CINCINNATI, JANUARY 5, 2016 -- Six months ago, a 100-year-old stone sewer line broke, and today, a large section of a Cincinnati riverfront park is slipping down the riverbank.

According to Cincinnati.com, repairs to the area at Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park are estimated at $2 million.

Employees at the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District had been engineering a fix since the line broke, but must now wait until river levels, which are 10-13 feet higher than usual, decrease to implement them.

The pipe is a permitted combined sewer overflow (CSO) pipe which discharges about 12 million gallons of rainwater and sewage each year into the Ohio River.

The spot where the pipe burst is about 6 feet in diameter and sits almost dead center of the riverfront park. The area has been cordoned off to prevent injury to visitors who might get a little too close to the sinking hillside.

Repairs are expected to begin at the end of this month.

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