While fixing leaks in Natchez’s downtown sewer system, workers with Georgetown Construction Company found a more serious problem.

A section of drainage pipe that runs down Jefferson Street in front of the Natchez City Auditorium was beginning to collapse, said City Engineer David Gardner.

The problem could have resulted in a sink-hole if it was not repaired, he said.

&uot;It’s really fortunate we found it like this,&uot; Gardner said.

The damaged area of pipe is about 40 feet in length and 25 feet wide. The pipe runs the length of Jefferson Street. It ties into a similar pipe on Canal Street, with the damaged area covering about half a block. The damage is the result of age, Gardner said, adding that the brick pipe may date back to the 1800s.

&uot;When you got a city this old you know your going to have problems like that,&uot; Gardner said.

Over the years, sections of brick have deteriorated and fallen loose from the pipe, allowing the overlying dirt to filter down.

&uot;It’s been living on borrowed time for a long time,&uot; said David Atkins, assistant city engineer.

The problem began getting worse today, Gardner said.

&uot;No one got hurt, and we caught it in time,&uot; he said.

Since there is no foundation for the pavement, the section of street will be blocked off at least through the weekend.

The problem was unrelated to the project being conducted by Georgetown.

In September, the company, a contractor hired by the city, began blowing non-toxic smoke into the sewer lines to look for damaged sections.

The company is now working to fix some of problems it found in the downtown area. It will resume testing with the &uot;smoke grenades&uot; at a later date.

&uot;Right now we got a lot (of damaged sections) we found while we were smoking,&uot; said B.J. Guido of Georgetown.

The company spent Thursday replacing the drainage box at the Jefferson and Canal streets intersection.

&uot;It was so old it’s made out of brick,&uot; Guido said. &uot;They don’t make them out of brick anymore.&uot;

The city undertook this project to locate areas in the system that are not airtight against rainwater.

So far, Guido said it has been successful.

&uot;It’s going good,&uot; Guido said. &uot;We found some problems that are going to help out with the infiltration of water to the sewer system.&uot;