With help from the Boothbay Harbor Sewer District, local residents and Maine Department of Transportation got an inside look at the broken siphon that once carried salt water between West Harbor Pond and the inner harbor. With that look, the West Harbor Pond Watershed Association inched closer to a viable solution for the broken siphon that lies under Route 27 in West Boothbay Harbor.

Before about 15 onlookers, David Pratt of the sewer district sawed through the old bolts on the pond side of the 1800s siphon and he was finally able to pry off the cover. Gary Farnham manned the camera monitor as Pratt fed a camera attached to a cable through the horizontal siphon pipe under the roadway. At about 26 feet from the source, Farnham located a clear break in the siphon.

Shawn Ready of Ted Berry Company examined the image and then explained the various options for repairing the siphon in place without disrupting the roadway or the causeway.

Maggie Connelly said the association will meet on Thursday to discuss next steps.