Maine State Prison Fixes Problem That Caused Sewage To Spew Out Of Manhole

WARREN, Maine — The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says a piece of a sewer line at the Maine State Prison in Warren has been replaced after sewage spilled from the system in March. A channel grinder — which breaks down solids in wastewater — in one of the prison’s sewage system pump stations failed and was removed sometime in late winter, according to Maine Department of Environmental Protection spokesman David Madore. Due to the removal of the grinder, the sewer line became blocked with “material,” Madore said, which caused sewage to discharge from a manhole cover located on state-owned property between the Maine State Prison and nearby Bolduc Correctional Facility. The spill occurred on or around March 17, Madore said.