ST. CLOUD  — Some of St. Cloud’s sewer pipe is being replaced because it’s so weak it can be scraped apart with a putty knife.

The $5.14 million project is replacing pipe serving St. Cloud, Sartell, St. Joseph and Waite Park.

“We have had failures in the past, and we’re preventing future emergency failures,” said Assistant Public Utilities Director Tracy Hodel.

Workers are using a crane with a vacuum to pick up and lower pipe into a 30-foot-deep pit. A crew member uses remote control to push 54-inch fiberglass pipes into the existing 60-inch concrete pipes.