Gary Gumm, the WSSC's chief engineer, said he found some drawings that had the names of more than 10 inspectors and surveyors on the project. However, he said, it would be "speculative" to conclude that any other projects they worked on were faulty.
"I'm concerned about all those pipes," Gumm said. "We need to get into all of them" to inspect them and WSSC officials have said they are most concerned about the health of the largest concrete mains because they are highly pressurized, causing them to literally explode if they corrode. Because of development, some pipes once buried in the countryside are now close to major roads and neighborhoods, where they could cause significant damage. Such large breaks have also led to widespread boil-water advisories for residents and businesses.
Montgomery Council Member Marc Elrich, an at-large Democrat who has been critical of the WSSC, said he finds it "really odd" and "a little close for comfort" that the records could have been tossed within months of the utility's searching for them. He said he's also concerned that the WSSC doesn't know how widespread any problems are.
