DECATUR, Ala. — It's sewer testing time in Decatur. That means you may see some smoke coming from some sewer lines. But don't worry...it's a safe and an environmentally sound way to check the sanitary sewer system.
This smoke is completely harmless and nontoxic, according to Joe Holmes with Decatur Utilities. "So every year we do what we call smoke testing on the sanitary sewer system. It's just something we're able to use safely to identify these areas on the sewer system so we can take care of them proactively and keep those sanitary sewer overflows down."
So how does the process actually work? Holmes says, "So when we inject the smoke into the sanitary sewer system, you'll see it come out the vent pipes of houses. That's perfectly normal. But if you see it coming out of the ground like you see, that's areas that we need to come back and fix. It could be a connection that's come loose. It could be a break in the pipe. It could be a missing clean-out cap. Anything we need to fix to keep water from infiltrating the sewer system. "
However, if a homeowner should see smoke inside the house, Holmes says they have a plumbing issue and they need to get that taken care of by a licensed plumber.
And one thing to keep in mind a few days before smoke testing begins in your area...
"A couple of days before we're going to be in their area, they will have received a notification. It's good to pour some, about two gallons of water down a drain that's not used very often. That's how we've got water in there, too, to keep the smoke from coming up to that and going through the vent pipe."
Testing will last for several more weeks, and Decatur Utilities says they will continue to update the public online. Every time they change the location, they'll post that to their Facebook , X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram accounts, as well as on their website.