The story of the stuck turtle began Tuesday when crews from SAWS were performing routine sewer line checks with a mobile camera.
As the camera snaked through the miles of pipes, something odd appeared on the screen: a fully grown turtle, and it was stuck.
After determining exactly where the turtle obstruction was, SAWS dispatched a crew to the line to remove the wedged wanderer.
For hours, crews dug above the location, eventually uncovering the concrete sewer line and the turtle stuck inside.
Cracking open two sections of the line revealed the terrified terrapin, a red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans).
Native to most of Texas, the red-eared slider lives in fresh water and eats aquatic plants, small fish and decaying material.
These turtle are often kept as pets and are in fact the most common types of turtle in Texas.
After removing the sneaky slider, SAWS relocated the turtle to a nearby pond, where it was released.
SAWS says all major obstructions, including turtles, must be removed before they cause damage to the lines.
