Baldwin sinkhole causes sewage to seep into Brookside Preserve creek

A massive sinkhole developed at a busy Baldwin intersection Thursday, sending sewage leaking into a waterway and the backyards of several homes, officials said.

The issue was discovered on Tuesday, after a 42-inch sewer main at the intersection of Grand and Lorenz avenues corroded and developed cracks, allowing sand to infiltrate the pipe and creating a void between the roadway and the exterior of the pipe, officials said.

The road then collapsed, allowing sewage to seep into the Brookside Preserve creek and the backyards of several homeowners, said Legis. Debra Mulé (D-Freeport), who represents the area.

Earlier this month, a 20-foot-deep sinkhole on Lido Boulevard in Lido Beach snarled traffic for two weeks and forced the evacuation of a firehouse.

"I share residents’ concerns about the environmental damage that is potentially being caused,” Mulé said. “ … This incident further demonstrates the need to invest in and repair our aging infrastructure."

County officials said water service was shut off to 36 homes in the area for three hours on Thursday before it was restored at 2 p.m. The water was chlorinated and is safe for use, county officials said.

The damage to the creek was not clear.

A spokesman for the State Department of Environmental Conservation said the agency is working with the County Public Works Department and local health departments "to determine the appropriate next steps after some overflow of untreated discharge may have entered the Milburn Creek within the Brookside Preserve."

Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, said the administration is working with Veolia Environmental Services, which runs the county's wastewater treatment plants, "to resolve issues as quickly as possible."

The northbound lanes of traffic in the area remained open during the roadway repairs while southbound traffic on Grand Avenue was being detoured west onto Seaman Avenue or east onto West Seaman Avenue, Nassau officials said.

A timeline for the repairs, Boyle said, is not clear.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.