Smoke is seen rising from the ground in a vacant lot on McCarty Street in Edgerton

Smoke testing on sewers to begin in August

Kara Banks City News

The City of Edgerton will be performing additional smoke testing the week of August 5th.  This is a continuation of the project that began in the spring of 2019, but the testing was postponed due to the unusually wet spring and early summer.

Smoke testing is used to identify defects in the City’s sanitary sewer lines by rising smoke through cracks or breaks in the lines, as well as any illegal connections.

The sanitary sewer system was not designed to handle stormwater. If too much rain gets into the sewers, it can lead to sewer backups and increased water treated at the City’s wastewater treatment plant, resulting in higher bills for customers.

City crews will be smoke testing every sanitary sewer line in the City within the scheduled week, weather dependent.

Smoke testing will begin for all lines north of McDonald and once that is complete all lines south of McDonald will be smoke tested as well.

Residents should be advised that during the testing smoke can enter their home through their sewer line, but it is not dangerous and will dissipate. Open windows or doors to ventilate. The smoke is non-toxic, does not leave stains or residues and is low-odor.

To prevent smoke from rising into your home, make sure to pour a small amount of water down your drains and any sinks or toilets that aren’t used frequently. It is normal for the smoke to vent through your home’s roof.

The City will be sending out information through Notify JoCo to notify residents when the smoke testing will be in their area. You can sign up for Notify JoCo here.