UNIVERSITY CITY 鈥 Work recently started to clear massive piles of debris from the tunnel that swallows the flood-prone River Des Peres, with crews removing tons of concrete, rocks and even a white couch.
The Metropolitan 狐狸视频 Sewer District launched the undertaking after the discovery of sprawling debris piles in the 20-foot tunnel. Residents have expressed concerns the debris aggravated flash flooding that pounded nearby University City homes in July 2022.
The heaps of debris 鈥 some of which were 5 feet high and 30 feet long 鈥 also fueled fears that they could make the surrounding area prone to repeat flood damage.
鈥淚t had to have contributed to some of the back-up flooding,鈥 Mary Ann Gaston, whose home flooded last year, said Wednesday. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad (the work) is happening. We鈥檝e been pushing for it.鈥
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The cleanup began earlier this month. And despite pauses because of weather and holidays, there鈥檚 been plenty of progress, according to work crews and neighbors.
Workers from Ace Pipe Cleaning, the contractor hired by MSD, said about 10 dump trucks of material had been hauled from the site as of early Wednesday. Another dump truck was filling up by mid-morning, as an excavator reached into the channel to hoist debris placed near the mouth of the tunnel by a small bulldozer working in the pitch-black interior.
The pile was mostly concrete and rock, interspersed with other materials, including a brake rotor and 鈥渟ewer snakes鈥 used to clean residential lines. Some slabs of concrete were several feet along.
鈥淭hese are some of the smaller ones,鈥 said Kevin Sager, a foreman for Ace.
Starting from the tunnel鈥檚 upstream opening in University City, about a mile of the structure has been cleared so far. Six total miles of the tunnel and its connections are set to be checked 鈥 a process estimated to take 10 months.
MSD officials think the biggest piles of debris are already gone since the power of the River Des Peres鈥 current dissipates as it moves through the tunnel.
The early rounds of removal turned up one surprise: the white couch, found upright more than a quarter of a mile into the tunnel. Other than the couch 鈥 and the raccoon living inside of it 鈥 workers said there haven鈥檛 been many unexpected finds.
鈥淩ocks, rocks, and more rocks,鈥 said Jeff Moore, an Ace superintendent at the site. 鈥淏efore, it was mostly slabs (of concrete).鈥
The work comes with some logistical curveballs. For instance, to help ventilate the tunnel and combat potential hazards from exhaust fumes, Ace鈥檚 workers placed a large fan in one opening, by Washington University鈥檚 campus. And workers wonder if they鈥檒l eventually need to punch a hole near the middle of the tunnel so they can more easily lift out debris.
Neighbors have applauded the work and kept an eye on its progress. Some are curious about where all the hulking chunks of concrete came from 鈥 something MSD and Ace aren鈥檛 sure of.
鈥淥ur one remaining unresolved question is where did all that concrete come from?鈥 said Gaston, the nearby resident watching Wednesday鈥檚 work.
The work already may be helping drainage through the tunnel. Sager, the Ace foreman, said water that had pooled knee deep in some spots dropped to ankle deep after debris was cleared.
MSD, though, maintains that the tunnel debris did not have a significant effect on the 2022 flash flooding. And it argues that the debris removal will not make a meaningful difference if the region is again soaked with record-setting rainfall.
鈥淚 wish the solution were just clearing some debris,鈥 said Bess McCoy, a spokeswoman for MSD. 鈥淲hat we don鈥檛 want is to give (residents) false hope.鈥
The utility has said repeatedly that it would be glad to help address local flood issues in earnest if it were given the authority 鈥 and funding 鈥 to do so from customers. A proposal to grant MSD those resources through new charges on sewer bills will be decided by voters throughout the region next spring.
Experts have been calling on government bodies to take responsibility for years. Now, they say, someone has to clean the river out. Before the floods hit again.
Next spring, 狐狸视频-area residents will vote on a controversial rate hike proposal that will raise sewer bills by 32%, or far higher, by 2028.