Road caves in after sewer line collapse in Delran Township, New Jersey
DELRAN, N.J. (CBS) -- Crews are working through the night to fix a massive sinkhole that opened up at the intersection of Leon Avenue and 5th Street in Delran, New Jersey. It happened after a major sewer line collapsed in a residential area.
Chopper 3 shows a gaping hole in the ground at the intersection in Burlington County.
Officials say a sewer line collapsed Sunday night, causing the ground to cave in. Around the same time the sinkhole formed, homeowner Gail Clark says the sewer backed up into her house.
"We have a water alarm in the basement that went off. I went down, took the alarm off and OK, within five minutes, water was gushing out of a toilet that we have down there," Clark said. "It was like a geyser, straight up in the air. Never saw anything like it. We've been here 30 years."
Clark said within 10 minutes, she had five inches of water in her basement – a stinky mess.
"The sewer company turned off a valve down the street and the water stopped coming out," Clark said.
Mayor Gary Catrambone said it was a difficult situation.
Residents were initially asked not to take a shower, run their dishwaters or flush the toilet to prevent additional strain on the sewer system.
"Fortunately, early this morning, we were able to get the diverter working and that pump is working, so we no longer have to conserve water in the town," Catrambone said.
Once crews replace the damaged pipe and fill the hole, the work will begin to figure out why the sewer line collapsed.
As for Clark, the floodwater has been pumped out of her basement, and she considers herself lucky.
"We're retired. I don't have to go to work. I don't know how you do this and have to go to work," Clark said. "We don't have kids at the house, so there's a lot to be grateful for, but yes, it's a pain in the neck."
The mayor estimates the damage is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. There's no timeline on when the repairs will be complete.
