Residents of Hungry Bay in Paget have expressed concern after spotting maintenance crews at the area's notorious offshore sewage pipe.

According to City Engineer Patrick Cooper at the Corporation of Hamilton, the Seabright Outfall — which pumps the City's sewage out beyond the inner reef — is currently undergoing repairs.

"There is a section of pipe where the concrete armouring has deteriorated and requires replacement. Atlantic Mooring is to replace this concrete armour over the next few weeks."

There is no suggestion of any leak.

Mr. Cooper said the Corporation hopes to modify the sewage pipe within the next three years.

"With a piece of infrastructure like this it's difficult to put a lifespan on it. Obviously we can't afford for it to fail, so we must be proactive on this."

A section of the pipe passes through a reef cave which Hurricane Igor emptied of sand, which allows the crew to inspect the outfall and its supporting network of chains.

Exactly what is to be done with the outfall remains to be seen.

The Corporation's consulting firm Associated Engineers examined it in 2008, Mr. Cooper said, to investigate "potential options for rerouting, realigning or replacing the existing outfall".

Directional drilling, or burying the sewage pipeline in rock, has been proposed in the past.

Drilling into cave-prone Bermuda stone could prove prohibitively expensive out in the ocean, however.

While the outfall is unlikely to be moved from the area, Mr. Cooper said: "The City is exploring improved sewage treatment options to protect public health and the environment."