Scarborough Sanitary District repairs force main after break on Eastern Trail

Scarborough Sanitary District crews and contractors repaired a force‑main break reported Aug. 27 near the footbridge on the Eastern Trail, Superintendent Dave Hughes told the board. The district exposed the break, called DigSafe, mobilized contractors and haulers, and completed a stainless‑steel wrap repair by roughly 7:00 p.m., according to an incident report included in the meeting packet.

Hughes said the break was caused by a sharp piece of trap rock that “punched a hole in the force vein,” and stressed the speed of the response after social‑media posts suggested negligence. “we immediately respond and got you know no hesitation on getting it fixed as quickly as we did,” Hughes said, praising the coordinated work of district staff, Risbar Construction and the haulers. Trustees noted previous force‑main failures dating to 1995 and a 2022 break near the golf course, and staff described the exposed pipe as thin‑walled fiberglass (permastrand) that otherwise appeared in good condition aside from the puncture.

The board received photos and an incident report with the packet. The superintendent said the district will continue monitoring the repaired section and the collection system as pilot testing and tracing work proceeds to identify upstream load sources.