Dade City reassures its residents any smoke seen in homes as it tests the sewer system is harmless.
By CHASE SQUIRES
Published May 8, 2004
DADE CITY - The last time the city tested its network of underground sewer lines in 1996, there was a flurry of panicked calls to the fire department as smoke poured from leaky pipes and rooftop vents.
Despite giving fair warning this year, city engineer Jose Gil acknowledged the fire department will probably get those calls again this time.
Starting Monday, crews will begin forcing smoke into the sewer system to test for cracks in the pipes. When all is well, the smoke will be forced out the vent pipes atop homes and businesses across town.
But when something is amiss, smoke could pop up in unexpected areas, including inside houses.
If that happens, Gil said, there's no reason to panic. The white smoke is non-toxic and will clear quickly through a few open windows. But it could indicate a problem with the home's plumbing that should be corrected.
The smoke also may irritate people with asthma or emphysema.
The testing is part of a $4-million effort to update the city's sewer lines, Gil said. Eighty-five percent of the money comes from a state grant.
By finding and fixing cracks in the underground pipes, some dating back to 1930, Gil hopes to cut down on ground water and rain water that seeps into the pipes. That water mixes with sewage and has to be treated at the city plant, costing money and occupying capacity.
"It's just as expensive to treat rain water as it is to treat sewage," Gil said.
Christi Grover of the Pensacola-based Baskerville Donovan engineering firm said the tests will target a rectangular area stretching from Lock Street south to Coleman Avenue and from Fifth Street east to 19th Street.
The work will begin Monday and continue through Friday, each day from 7 a.m. to about 4 p.m.
Jody Anderson of Equitas Sewer Services said uniformed crews from her company will conduct the tests, using a fan to blow smoke into manholes, then walking through the neighborhood to see where the smoke comes out.
Grover said her firm will analyze the results over the next year and have a plan for improvements and corrections ready for the city by next summer.
Gil said the city's five-year upgrade of the sewer treatment plant is now completed, and he said the recent addition of new meter readers and an overhaul of the meter-reading process has improved water service and cut down on billing questions.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For questions about the smoke testing, residents may call the city's safety services department at (352) 521-1494 or Equitas, toll free, at 1-877-360-0780.
