Huge blob of fat and other nastiness forces 1 million gallons of sewage into waterway

A gigantic glob of congealed fat, wet wipes and other waste – deemed a “fatberg” because of its iceberg-like size – has been blamed for a sewer overflow in Baltimore.

The overflow discharged about 1.2 million gallons of sewage into the Jones Falls waterway last week.

The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that the fatberg was discovered in a sewer main near Baltimore Penn Station.

Public works officials said the walls of a century-old 24-inch wide pipe were caked with oils, grease and congealed fats. Up to 85 percent of the pipe was clogged, blocking the flow of sewage.

The fatberg has been mostly scraped off and sent to a landfill.

A fatberg estimated to weigh more than 140 tons was recently discovered in London’s sewer system. Officials say it could take weeks to be destroyed. That fatberg — a congealed, rock-hard mass of fat, grease, wet wipes, used diapers, condoms and more — clocks in at 130 tons, and it’s more than 800 feet long, according to the BBC.

This story was originally published September 26, 2017 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Huge blob of fat and other nastiness forces 1 million gallons of sewage into waterway."