South Boston sewage tunnel worker hospitalized

By Globe Staff

A worker in a sewage tunnel being built in South Boston was hospitalized after reporting chest pains this morning and elevated levels of carbon monoxide were found in his blood, a Massachusetts Water Resources Authority spokeswoman said this afternoon.

But air monitors in the tunnel continued to show safe readings after the incident, which occurred about 11:15 a.m., and others on the crew of about 30 are continuing to work, said Ria Convery.

The man affected was the driver of the small locomotive that transports workers along the 2-mile tunnel, which is about halfway complete, Convery said.

Convery said the man’s job puts him “in pretty close contact” with the exhaust from the locomotive.

“They’ll examine the locomotive to see if anything’s wrong with it,” she said.

Rain and sewage are typically piped together to Boston's water treatment plant. But during heavy storms, the rain can overwhelm the sewer system, forcing a mix of runoff and sewage into relief valves that empty into the harbor.

The tunnel will store storm water so it can later be pumped to the Deer Island sewer treatment plant.

The project is intended to virtually eliminate the overflows into the harbor and dramatically reduce beach closings.

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