More than 100,000 gallons of sewer water released in Myrtle Beach pipe failure

Crews in Myrtle Beach are repairing a 24-inch sewer line that broke Monday morning.

City Spokesperson Mark Kruea said the pipe on Canal Street near the Mary Canty Recreation Center is around 30 or 40 years old and broke by itself.

Kruea said in an email that the pipe walls had become thin through corrosion and that " heavier-than-normal flow volumes may have caused the pipe to break."

Kruea said 105,000 gallons of sewage were released, but that most of it was contained and collected. He said the pipe should be repaired later today.

As a precaution, water quality samples were collected from several locations in the Withers Swash drainage basin and in the Atlantic Ocean, where the swash enters, Kruea said, adding that the test results would be available mid-day Tuesday.

This story was originally published May 28, 2018 at 1:38 PM with the headline "More than 100,000 gallons of sewer water released in Myrtle Beach pipe failure."