Puzzled doesn’t seem to sum it up. But why city and county officials aren’t openly concerned about how exactly the sewer piping at Lemolo has miraculously fixed itself since its closure in October 2002, is a real noodle scratcher.

Maybe the waters of Liberty Bay, after being doused with some 800,000 gallons of city sewage during the past few years, possess some magical qualities they’re not ready to divulge.

The fountain of youth?

Maybe not for people, but possibly for the siphons that transfer Poulsbo’s sewage across the bay to the Central Kitsap Wastewater Treatment Facility in aptly-named Brownsville.

It’s too bad Jack Palance isn’t around to field this one for Ripley’s “… believe it … or not!” The latter seems more likely, unless the 2002 report from the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (which should know a thing or two about pipes) was way off in stating that the system was corroding.

Now, we’re no rocket scientists, or members of the Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association for that matter, but one thing we’re fairly certain of is corrosion doesn’t all of the sudden go away. Not even if it’s asked politely.

However, if both reports are correct, than that must’ve been the case and as far as the siphons go, it seems that the past four years have been unbelievably good.

But as such at least one primary question should rise to surface — like so much sewage has in Liberty Bay — other than the obvious, “How can this be?”

If the siphons are OK and have been all along, why exactly were they closed to begin with?