Sewer system tested, Celina Record

Celina set to test sewer system Lisa Ferguson, lferguson@starlocalmedia.com Jan 14, 2016 0 The City of Celina’s wastewater treatment plant, located on North Florida Drive, has at times been inundated with rainwater that can flow into the city’s sanitary sewer system. Beginning Monday, the city will conduct smoke tests throughout the downtown area in an effort to locate breaks and defects within the system. Where there’s smoke there won’t necessarily be fire next week as the City of Celina conducts tests of its sanitary sewer system. A smoke-testing process will be used for the first time locally to locate breaks and defects within the system, explained Alan Fourmentin, assistant director of public works. “This is a surefire way to find out where our biggest needs are and immediate concerns are,” he said. On its website, the city assured that the testing process will not impact the existing sewer service. Smoke testing is commonly done in other cities throughout the country, he said, and should serve to help remediate sanitary sewer issues that primarily affect inflow and infiltration processes occurring at Celina’s wastewater treatment plant, located at 700 N. Florida Drive. With the unusually high amount of rain the city – and most of North Texas – received last year, Fourmentin said the plant was at times inundated with rainwater that can flow into the sanitary sewer system and be costly to treat. “We’ve had to staff 24 hours a day during rain events to monitor the plant and make sure that we don’t have any issues or overflows within the system,” he said. Infiltration can occur anywhere that groundwater penetrates the sanitary sewer system, such as cracks in manholes and fissures in broken pipes, Fourmentin explained. Since mid-December, crews from a contracted company called Pure Technologies have been working in the area using cameras and other equipment to inspect water mains for deterioration and blockages, as well as manholes. That work is scheduled to wrap up today. City staff has also been out doing what Fourmentin called “reconnaissance work,” locating open or broken cleanouts and manholes near creeks that water can enter into easily, among others. “We’re not just sitting around waiting for the contractors. We’re trying to be as proactive as possible with internal staff to remedy anything we can find,” he said. Weather permitting, the smoke-testing process will begin on Monday and is expected to continue through Jan. 22. Work will take place in a swath of downtown bordered in the north by Malone Street and in the south by Winn Road. It stretches west to east from Stefhanie Drive to Texas Drive. “We’ll essentially plug the wastewater lines and we’ll blow smoke into it, and that smoke will rise up anywhere there’s a crack in the system, (where) manholes are leaking, any open holes in the ground,” Fourmentin explained. The odorless smoke is non-toxic and non-staining, and likely will be white or gray in color. It does not pose a fire hazard. Smoke will also be seen wafting from vent stacks on the roofs on homes in the area, indicating that the house is properly plumbed to the city’s sewer lines. Property owners will receive a door hanger notice at their home prior to the smoke testing. However, Fourmentin said, residents who observe smoke inside of their homes during the testing period should contact the city immediately. “If it’s coming out into someone’s house,” he said, “then that means that sewer gases can (also) get inside the house, which can be potentially dangerous.” For that reason, Fourmentin advises residents who are concerned about the possibility of smoke entering their homes to leave windows open on the scheduled day of testing. If smoke seeps in and plumbing issues are indicated, homeowners will be on the hook to pay for any related repair costs themselves. Fourmentin said the city will follow up later to ensure that was repair work was completed properly and according to code. Fourmentin said it is likely that issues will be uncovered within the city’s sanitary sewer system as a result of the testing. “The majority of our problem is when it rains, we see a spike in inflow coming into the plant within an hour or so,” he said, “so that tells us that we have a lot of inflow.” The testing process, which was a budgeted line item for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, will cost the city $75,000. While next week’s test will only cover the downtown area, future plans are to repeat the process in other areas of the city. Besides uncovering sewer system woes, Fourmentin said the inspections and testing will also help the city tend to its asset management program and build its capital improvement program, both of which are relatively new. It also assists in building a geographic information system, which digitally maps the city’s infrastructure including water lines, sewer lines, storm drain lines and streets. “It’s part of a long-term process for the entire city,” he said. Residents with specific questions about smoke testing can call the city’s Wasterwater Department at (972) 658-2204.