COVINGTON — Sanitation District workers Thursday patched a large hole and a crack in a 48-inch sewer pipe located close to a playground near James Avenue off Decoursey Pike in the Latonia neighborhood.

-Sanitation District No. 1 crews have poured a concrete patch over a hole in a sewer pipe near a Latonia playground. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        Now district officials must decide whether to replace the big line, reline it, or take some other measure. In the meantime, they want everyone to stay away from the site.

        “We're concerned that the remainder of the pipe may be unstable,” Sanitation District general manager Jeff Eger said Thursday. “We want neighbors to be aware and keep their children away from the pipe.”

        He said district workers were putting temporary fencing around the area and posting signs warning the public to keep out.

        Mr. Eger said the district intends to hire a consultant to study the situation and develop a long-term solution. He said there are other large sewer pipes in the immediate area.

        “We don't want kids climbing on the pipe,” he said. “Part of the pipe is above ground, which is why our people discovered the damage. We don't want any kids hurt here. I think everyone learned from the accident at the swimming pool in Latonia.”

        Last August, 6-year-old Dylan Roberts drowned in about 7 feet of water at the Rosedale Pool in Latonia. The pool was closed in March 1997, but Covington city officials did not fill it until after the boy drowned.

        Mr. Eger said there was no sanitation risk or threat of fumes from the damaged pipe because the hole had been patched.

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