Learning about a local underground brook and finding outfalls along the Kennebec River initially sparked my interest in draining a few years ago. Lately, seeing other member's draining photos and reading their stories has renewed my interest in checking them out. The openings I have come across around here are pretty claustrophobic (about 4 to 4.5 feet in diameter), and I know little about the layout of the local system itself. However, as small as the system may be, I definitely want to devote some time this spring/summer to exploring underground. This past weekend, I poked around town and got myself acquainted with potentially promising spots.
This drain is a pain to get to, but is wonderfully graffiti-free.
About 25-30 feet in, there is a large waterfall and manhole access, with the tube continuing on. I climbed the ladder and peeked down the upper level, and it visibly extended for quite a while. I definitely plan to return and push on when I'm better equipped.
Damn grates
. Makes me wonder how long ago the tags inside of this one were written.
This one is pretty frustrating; I'm not sure I would trust myself to make it in and out without falling to the rocks below. Probably won't be attempting it anytime soon, but at least it makes for a cool photo op in the winter.
And finally, I'm hoping that someone with drain infrastructure knowledge can help me identify something that I found:
At the bottom of this very large concrete staircase.....
...Inside a neglected barbed-wire-fenced square....
...Is a rusty old hatch. The interior of said hatch is flooded, with a ladder extending into the murky depths. There are what appear to to ventilation pipes sticking out of the ground nearby, fastened to a wooden pole. It obviously hasn't been maintained, so I can only assume it's abandoned, but I would love to know what purpose it served. Considering it's directly adjacent to the river, I would think it had something to do with flushing out excess drainage water (or something of that nature), but I've never seen anything like it before.