DI main sewer line break creates sinkhole near Guggenheim Terrace

A foul odor lingered in the air in the vicinity of the business district on Seven Farms Drive late last month. The smell was traced back to a sinkhole on the strip of road near Guggenheim Terrace. 
 
On July 28, Charleston Water System was notified and responded to a potential sewer mainline break in the area. In order to secure the area, CPW plated the sinkhole tentatively and cordoned off the site with barricades until repairs could be made the following week by an approved contractor, according to CPW Public Information Administrator Mike Saia.
 
The street and sidewalk on the Agave restaurant side of Guggenheim Terrace was closed from the parking lot entrance to Seven Farms Drive from Aug. 1-11, until the repair was completed and the site was demobilized and fully restored. 
 
Upon excavation, CPW discovered and removed 20 feet of collapsed 24-inch ductile iron sewer main. The sinkhole was 20 feet wide and 10 feet deep, according to Saia.  
 
CPW installed a cured-in-place 150-foot long structural liner from manhole to manhole. The liner is expected to extend the life of the sewer mainline segment by 50 years, according to Saia. 
 
The cause of the collapse that created the sinkhole was classified as a pipe failure. The ductile iron pipe rotted away from corrosion due to sewer gasses and direct contact with sewage material.   
 
“If you see a sinkhole, report it ASAP,” Saia said. “Since any depression or sinkhole can be related to a wide range of factors such as failures in stormwater infrastructure, water or sewer main breaks, ground settling, nearby construction, or other factors, the best thing to do is report it to your town, city, county, or water/sewer provider – ideally as many of these as possible because the sinkhole can impact all of them in some way.”   
 
“I would have to give high compliments to the Charleston CPW team for their responsiveness and work on such an intricate repair,” said Chris Hamil, Daniel Island Property Owners’ Association Field Operations Manager. “They were very communicative and thorough in achieving the goal of repairing this large line along Guggenheim.”
 
Hamil noted that CPW is also partnering with the POA to reinstall the landscape within the work area. There has not been a total cost reported on the repairs of the overall project at this time.
 

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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