Steaming Sewer on W. 15th St. Prompts ConEd Investigation

A steaming sewer on W. 15th St. prompted an investigation by ConEd today. The workers investigating the situation would not elaborate on the dangers of the situation, or if it was in any way connected to police cordoning off the area around the sewer last week. There are approximately 260,000 manhole covers, grates and service box covers that are part of energy supplier Con Edison's 90,000 miles (145,000 km) of underground cable in New York and nearby Westchester County and each year there are several thousand sewer related accidents in New York City. Last year ConEd was plagued by many major incidents. In April 2004 a woman was fatally electrocuted while walking her dog's, when she stepped on an electrified manhole cover in the East Village. After a thorough investigation ConEd found at least 130 similarly electrified manhole covers scattered throughout the city, and in September of last year several sewers exploded in midtown Manhattan sending manhole covers flying into the air, injuring five pedestrians. These serious problems have led “Manholia,” a not completely irrational fear of manholes, to become the newest urban neurosis.