LEWISTON, Maine — McMahon Elementary School in Lewiston will be closed Wednesday due to a sewage drain blockage that needs to be worked on.
School leaders were unable to get a vendor to do the work during off-school hours, Superintendent Jake Langlais said in a letter to parents sent out Monday.
The school was made aware of the issue last week, after a drain backed up and caused raw sewage to bubble up in the boiler room, Langlais said. The backup was mitigated, but there was a larger a series of problems in the drain system.
"To take care of this properly, drain work that includes jets and cameras in the pipe in necessary," Langlais wrote. "We have coordinated to clean out and have professional cleaners on standby if needed."
The work should only disrupt school for the one day. Students and staff will be able to return once the drains are working properly and any necessary spaces are sanitized.
"We did not want to risk students and staff having exposure to sewage or have failing restrooms," Langlais said. "This is the best and most immediate solution we can come up with."
