Austin Guy Falls Into Manhole; Result Is Not Good

[Wally Pryor 5261]

All sorts of weird here.     The water's flowing that fast?   Damn.

 

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A construction worker died after falling into a manhole leading to a sewer line in northeast Austin Tuesday, according to the Austin Police Department.

Austin-Travis County EMS, Austin firefighters and police responded near the area of McCallen Pass and East Parmer Lane around 2:37 p.m.

Initial reports were that an adult fell into a manhole with moving water and disappeared from the sight of witnesses, according to a tweet from ATCEMS.

Rescuers were in “search mode,” trying to find the person with visual searches. They were also using waterway maps to help with the search, in case the person was swept downstream, ATCEMS said.

Around 6:45 p.m., Austin police said they received word a person was found at the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. He was pronounced dead on scene.

Austin police confirmed it was a male victim, and they’re still working on notifying the family.

The area where the worker disappeared and where he was found is more than 11 miles apart by road. It would be an approximately 14-minute car ride.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be investigating, APD said.

https://www.statesman.com/storyimage/TX/20201013/NEWS/201019662/AR/0/AR-201019662.jpg

Edited October 14, 2020 by Wally Pryor

[Cousin Strawberry 1261]

shitty way to go.

[crash_davis 23113]

Will our tap water now have a flavor of death?

[Brisketexan 105139]

When they recovered the body, they reported that he looked flushed.

[ztejas 43448]

[usmc0331horn 953]

Falling Down just put out a sequel?

[Deej 76791]

I really thought a story about someone being lost in a manhole would have originated out of South Austin. 

[BrazilHorn 6606]

Are we sure the homeless that live under there didn't eat him?

Morlocks!

[Guest Lobo]

Cannibalistic Hipster Underground Douchebags?  

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

 

[SwanderedTalent 5761]

flush twice, it's a long way to College Station

[crash_davis 23113]

21 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Cannibalistic Hipster Underground Douchebags?  

CHUD!!!!!!! 80s horror flicks were awesome.

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

What I’m hearing is that there’s a real alternative to travel by road already in place. Subterranean Austin canal system (sacs) ain’t just a band name. 
 

[Cousin Strawberry 1261]

Is anyone else completely disgusted that the river of piss and shit underneath us flows that fast?

[Wally Pryor 5261]

9 minutes ago, Cousin Strawberry said:

Is anyone else completely disgusted that the river of piss and shit underneath us flows that fast?

Well, a little (no, a lot) surprised if nothing else.   Dude was "swept" away.  Sounds flash flood-like in swiftness.   And that visual is even worse. 

Someone's getting sued. 

 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

Y'all know the difference between a storm sewer and a sanitary sewer, right?

[Brisketexan 105139]

5 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Y'all know the difference between a storm sewer and a sanitary sewer, right?

If it took him to a treatment plant, it's a sanitary sewer.  Texas doesn't have combined systems.

[ztejas 43448]

1 minute ago, Dr. Beeper said:

Or NW Austin. 

"Let's cut the games out of city council"

Says someone hoping to play said games in city council.

[Deej 76791]

Finally tame our traffic?

She hasn't been out much since March, I take it. 

[CooterBrown 18012]

I thought this was a thread about South Austin’s mom.

[atomheartbevo 89667]

1 hour ago, Wally Pryor said:

Well, a little (no, a lot) surprised if nothing else.   Dude was "swept" away.  Sounds flash flood-like in swiftness.   And that visual is even worse. 

Someone's getting sued. 

1 hour ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Y'all know the difference between a storm sewer and a sanitary sewer, right?

There's a sanitary sewer with a manhole alongside Shoal Creek that I pass multiple times every week.  Sometimes you can really smell it before you get near it, and it almost always sounds like a muffled Niagara Falls.

Not surprised the water is constantly running that fast.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

I guess I didn't realize they had manholes on sanitary sewer lines like that, but I guess someone has to be able to get in there and inspect them.

[jimmyjazz 45952]

I wonder what it's like to realize you're about to die in a class 3 rapids of shit and piss.  I mean, that's not top 10 likely causes of death material.  "THIS is the way I'm going out?"

[Hate 20108]

Sounds like the COA needs to put chopper pumps on their sewers - Sheiss Meister

[Huckleberry 32861]

1 hour ago, Cousin Strawberry said:

Is anyone else completely disgusted that the river of piss and shit underneath us flows that fast?

Wouldn't it be a lot more disgusting if it were moving really slowly?

[Jerry Callo 8703]

Just testing one of the alternatives to Austin's Project Connect.

[Brisketexan 105139]

1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

Wouldn't it be a lot more disgusting if it were moving really slowly?

[jimmyjazz 45952]

1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

Wouldn't it be a lot more disgusting if it were moving really slowly?

Does new piss and shit smell different than old piss and shit?  Asking for a friend.

[BradInATX 9208]

3 hours ago, Cousin Strawberry said:

Is anyone else completely disgusted that the river of piss and shit underneath us flows that fast?

I'm on septic with sprinklers so really I'm just shitting in my yard. 

[workswithseed 2106]

1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

Wouldn't it be a lot more disgusting if it were moving really slowly?

Just a slow moving sludge of who knows what, sliding like a slug to its destination.

[BabaYaga 15298]

[Cousin Strawberry 1261]

5 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

Wouldn't it be a lot more disgusting if it were moving really slowly?

That guy would probably be alive.  I mean he would have been covered in shit, piss, used condoms, used tampons, corn and probably developed a terrible eye infection, but he would be alive.

[Pam Cummings 9641]

10 hours ago, Cousin Strawberry said:

shitty way to go.

The resulting lawsuit will leave his family flush with cash.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

Well at least we know the lines aren’t clogged.  

[Deej 76791]

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

Sanitary sewers are designed to flow between 2 and 5 feet per second, or 1.34 and 3.4 miles per hour.  Any slower than 2 fps and solids settle out and start obstructing the flow.  Faster than 5 fps and the solids scour and erode the pipes.  I don't know the route of the main or mains that he was swept down, but 11 miles in about 3 hours is 3.666 mph, or about 5.377 fps.  That would be an unusually high flow rate, but if the main is carrying more flow than it was designed to carry, I could see it happening.  It is difficult to keep the underground wastewater infrastructure updated to handle a lot of growth. 

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

6 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

Wouldn't it be a lot more disgusting if it were moving really slowly?

Absolutely.  It would go septic and really stink, as opposed to just stink.

[Armybrat 40844]

8 hours ago, Cousin Strawberry said:

Is anyone else completely disgusted that the river of piss and shit underneath us flows that fast?

Like shit through the proverbial goose?

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

10 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Sanitary sewers are designed to flow between 2 and 5 feet per second, or 1.34 and 3.4 miles per hour.  Any slower than 2 fps and solids settle out and start obstructing the flow.  Faster than 5 fps and the solids scour and erode the pipes.  I don't know the route of the main or mains that he was swept down, but 11 miles in about 3 hours is 3.666 mph, or about 5.377 fps.  That would be an unusually high flow rate, but if the main is carrying more flow than it was designed to carry, I could see it happening.  It is difficult to keep the underground wastewater infrastructure updated to handle a lot of growth. 

 

8 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Absolutely.  It would go septic and really stink, as opposed to just stink.

 

a SME in every subject imaginable posts here

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

4 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

 

 

a SME in every subject imaginable posts here

Can't let the lawyers have all of Surly, can we?

[Assman 1830]

28 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Sanitary sewers are designed to flow between 2 and 5 feet per second, or 1.34 and 3.4 miles per hour.  Any slower than 2 fps and solids settle out and start obstructing the flow.  Faster than 5 fps and the solids scour and erode the pipes.  I don't know the route of the main or mains that he was swept down, but 11 miles in about 3 hours is 3.666 mph, or about 5.377 fps.  That would be an unusually high flow rate, but if the main is carrying more flow than it was designed to carry, I could see it happening.  It is difficult to keep the underground wastewater infrastructure updated to handle a lot of growth. 

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter sir.

I thought all manhole covers generally led to storm drains or underground utility tunnels.  So there are some that lead directly to shit sewers?  I guess I just always assumed sewers were in a closed pipe and wouldn’t be open to the outside world in a sense by just opening a manhole cover.  
 

I’m seriously intrigued and want to know more.

[Somnio 751]

11 minutes ago, Assman said:

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter sir.

I thought all manhole covers generally led to storm drains or underground utility tunnels.  So there are some that lead directly to shit sewers?  I guess I just always assumed sewers were in a closed pipe and wouldn’t be open to the outside world in a sense by just opening a manhole cover.  
 

I’m seriously intrigued and want to know more.

username checks out

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

14 minutes ago, Assman said:

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter sir.

I thought all manhole covers generally led to storm drains or underground utility tunnels.  So there are some that lead directly to shit sewers?  I guess I just always assumed sewers were in a closed pipe and wouldn’t be open to the outside world in a sense by just opening a manhole cover.  
 

I’m seriously intrigued and want to know more.

Manholes are a vital part of the collection system that transports wastewater from your toilet, sinks, showers, etc. to the treatment plant.  They are necessary to access the lines to clear obstructions, and they vent the system to prevent air locks.  The wastewater needs to have some air mixed in as it travels along to prevent odors and hazardous gasses, and manholes provide that.  They are also important for preventing blockages at places in the mains where there are changes. 

Texas regulations require that every wastewater main has manholes no further than 300 feet apart (to vent the system and provide access), and every place where a main changes size, changes directions, changes elevation, or another main joins it (to prevent clogging and provide access).  The only collection lines that won't have  manholes are force mains from lift stations, and on the laterals that connect homes and businesses to the mains.  On the laterals, cleanouts are required to allow for clearing the lateral if it gets clogged. 

There are a LOT of manholes in a sanitary sewer collection system. 

[Assman 1830]

5 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Manholes are a vital part of the collection system that transports wastewater from your toilet, sinks, showers, etc. to the treatment plant.  They are necessary to access the lines to clear obstructions, and they vent the system to prevent air locks.  The wastewater needs to have some air mixed in as it travels along to prevent odors and hazardous gasses, and manholes provide that.  They are also important for preventing blockages at places in the mains where there are changes. 

Texas regulations require that every wastewater main has manholes no further than 300 feet apart (to vent the system and provide access), and every place where a main changes size, changes directions, changes elevation, or another main joins it (to prevent clogging and provide access).  The only collection lines that won't have  manholes are force mains from lift stations, and on the laterals that connect homes and businesses to the mains.  On the laterals, cleanouts are required to allow for clearing the lateral if it gets clogged. 

There are a LOT of manholes in a sanitary sewer collection system. 

So are these your standard round pipes or more like an underground ditch?  Obviously not pressurized, correct?

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

6 minutes ago, Assman said:

So are these your standard round pipes or more like an underground ditch?  Obviously not pressurized, correct?

They are generally just standard round pipes, usually PVC, but there are a ton of other materials used, too.  The pipes used range from 1 or 2 inches to 20 or more feet.  There are pipes under London and other cities that are regularly inspected by boat.

There are pressurized systems in use, many of them in the Hill Country.  In rocky terrain where it is difficult and expensive to dig deep trenches, small pressurized pipes will be used, with each home having a grinder pump pumping their waste to the collection system.  These are the exception.  We try to use gravity as much as possible to save costs. 

In older sections of many cities, and in systems where they won't spend much on engineering, collection mains run alongside creeks in the creek bed to take advantage of the grade that obviously already drains by gravity.

[Assman 1830]

7 minutes ago, Scheiss Meister said:

They are generally just standard round pipes, usually PVC, but there are a ton of other materials used, too.  The pipes used range from 1 or 2 inches to 20 or more feet.  There are pipes under London and other cities that are regularly inspected by boat.

There are pressurized systems in use, many of them in the Hill Country.  In rocky terrain where it is difficult and expensive to dig deep trenches, small pressurized pipes will be used, with each home having a grinder pump pumping their waste to the collection system.  These are the exception.  We try to use gravity as much as possible to save costs. 

In older sections of many cities, and in systems where they won't spend much on engineering, collection mains run alongside creeks in the creek bed to take advantage of the grade that obviously already drains by gravity.

I guess I don't understand how there are so many manhole covers associated with sewer systems, yet most of the pipes are PVC.  I'm guessing you don't pop open a cover and all of a sudden you're staring into a PVC pipe.  Like the dude that washed away today obviously fell into some open ditch type setup, so how common are those?

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

19 minutes ago, Assman said:

I guess I don't understand how there are so many manhole covers associated with sewer systems, yet most of the pipes are PVC.  I'm guessing you don't pop open a cover and all of a sudden you're staring into a PVC pipe.  Like the dude that washed away today obviously fell into some open ditch type setup, so how common are those?

Ah, I see what you are getting at.  Manholes are large pipes that run vertically from the sewer main up to ground level.  The manholes are usually concrete or fiber reinforced plastic, and usually about 3 or 4 feet in diameter.  The cover is smaller in diameter and set on a lid that sits on top of the manhole.  The bottom of the manhole is a floor of concrete or other durable material that the main is set into or has a molded channel in it that the main ties into.  There are only open ditches when the mains are being constructed, repaired, or replaced. 

I have seen manholes that were about 3 feet deep, and others that were 30 or more feet deep.  It depends on the lay of the terrain and the depth needed to make the wastewater flow properly.  If the guy today fell in a really deep one, the fall may have killed him.  More likely, after he fell he was swept into an area where there was too much carbon dioxide, too much hydrogen sulfide, or too little oxygen and he suffocated.  Manholes provide some ventilation, but not enough to make the atmosphere safe for human habitation.  As was said above, shitty way to go.

If you are really curious and want a look at a manhole, contact someone at a nearby municipality or utility district and ask for a tour.  Water and wastewater folks love to show off and talk about their work.

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

13 hours ago, crash_davis said:

Will our tap water now have a flavor of death?

That's not where your tap water comes from.  I hope it's not, anyway.

[jimmyjazz 45952]

3 hours ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Sanitary sewers are designed to flow between 2 and 5 feet per second, or 1.34 and 3.4 miles per hour.  Any slower than 2 fps and solids settle out and start obstructing the flow.  Faster than 5 fps and the solids scour and erode the pipes.  I don't know the route of the main or mains that he was swept down, but 11 miles in about 3 hours is 3.666 mph, or about 5.377 fps.  That would be an unusually high flow rate, but if the main is carrying more flow than it was designed to carry, I could see it happening.  It is difficult to keep the underground wastewater infrastructure updated to handle a lot of growth. 

User name . . . check.

[Hefeweizen 5321]

9 hours ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Sanitary sewers are designed to flow between 2 and 5 feet per second, or 1.34 and 3.4 miles per hour.  Any slower than 2 fps and solids settle out and start obstructing the flow.  Faster than 5 fps and the solids scour and erode the pipes.  I don't know the route of the main or mains that he was swept down, but 11 miles in about 3 hours is 3.666 mph, or about 5.377 fps.  That would be an unusually high flow rate, but if the main is carrying more flow than it was designed to carry, I could see it happening.  It is difficult to keep the underground wastewater infrastructure updated to handle a lot of growth. 

This is true except for large interceptors.  With Hobas or fiberglass pipe you don't worry about higher velocities because scour is really only a big concern north of 10 ft/sec.  We design  storm to carry 20 ft/sec so it's possible.