"Sewers\/Underground\/Reservoir\/Cistern": HTML5 Crossword

Across

3. With sticks they find lying on the foul path, they __ r __ __ __ the depths of the foul water. The largest of the boys attempts to hold back bile as he fishes out a clump of hair and stringy faeces. (5)
5. She __ l __ __ __ on the moss-covered stones, sending ripples across the murky water. (4)
7. Shockingly and surprisingly, murals __ e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the walls, painted with pigments made from whatever he could find - algae, mud, rust. (9)
8. Metallic ladders __ r __ __ __ against the stone, orange from years of lying in the water. Still, this might be his only means of salvation. (5)
11. The government __ r __ __ __ __ __ the subterranean cisterns that supplied drinking water and repurposed them as a funky, atmospheric art cave with contrasting blue and golden lights. (7)
12. Two towering glass pyramids __ a __ __ the art cave’s entrance and exit points. (4)
15. Gloom, bricks, putrid waters and claustrophobia __ n __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ my little incursion into the tunnels under St Louis but surprisingly, they were cleaner than I expected. (12)
17. When a cholera epidemic in 1913 __ l __ __ __ __ __ the lives of more than five thousand residents, the mayor was resolved to build a new cistern to improve Kopendagget’s drinking water. (7)
18. The man’s eyes remind her of the rats that __ l __ __ __ around the gutters and tunnels, with eyes that dart and gleam in sparse lighting. (5)
19. The ageing sewers __ t __ __ __ __ under the pressure of rapid population growth, creating an urgent, almost palpable tension beneath the city streets. (6)

Down

1. It was time to renovate and __ o __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the existing wastewater plant treatments by building the sewage system forty metres underground. (9)
2. Originally an open pool of water, the reservoir was later __ o __ __ __ __ __ with glass panes over a metal frame of generative design to minimise chances of pollution and infection. (7)
4. Acidic waste __ o __ __ __ __ __ __ the ancient metal pipes of the sewers, threatening to rise and unleash a deluge of filth onto the streets. (8)
6. I must have __ i __ __ __ __ the rat’s curiosity when I plopped into the tunnel, but in hindsight, the overpowering cheesy aroma in my bag may have wafted into its twitchy nose. (6)
7. Laughter and shouts would resound, __ i __ __ __ __ __ __ __ by the graffitied tunnel's unique acoustics. (9)
9. “They are vital components of urban infrastructure that keep the urban environment safe from flooding,” droned the teacher, “and they prevent the spread of water-borne diseases by safely __ r __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ wastewater to the waste water treatment works.” (12)
10. The gloom of the sewers finally __ i __ __ __ __ when the excavator demolished crumbly Abercrombie Street and flooded it with blazing sunlight. (6)
13. Faint sounds would __ i __ __ __ __ through from the world above, distorted lullabies of city life. (6)
14. As the torchlight flickers, he __ l __ __ __ __ __ __ shadows moving just beyond his vision and swears. His heart might have skipped a beat. (8)
16. Lances of light __ e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the sewers from manholes but cannot defeat the abyss. (9)