MILFORD, Ohio — The City of Milford will pump smoke through sanitary sewer lines in a stretch of downtown on Sept. 14 to check for cracked pipes and illegal stormwater connections, the city said in a Facebook post.
The testing will run along sewer lines in the area between the Little Miami Brewing Company Event Center on Mill Street and Garfield Avenue, according to the city. Milford’s Wastewater Department and its contractors plan to use high-capacity blowers to force non-toxic, odorless white and gray smoke through the sewer system, a standard method crews use to visually spot breaks in underground pipes.
Residents and business owners in the affected area are asked to pour a gallon of water into all floor drains, sinks and plumbing fixtures by 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 14 to fill plumbing traps and keep smoke from entering buildings, the city said. Smoke rising from street manholes or roof vents during the test is normal and expected, according to the notice.
If smoke does get inside a building, it signals a faulty or dry trap in the plumbing system. The city is asking anyone who sees smoke indoors to open windows and doors to ventilate the area and call the Wastewater Department at 513-831-6982 so crews can log the location and alert the testing crew. Residents with a known severe respiratory condition are asked to notify the department before testing begins as a precaution.
The smoke itself is non-toxic, non-staining and creates no fire hazard, the city said.
Milford’s Wastewater Department operates the city’s treatment plant along with more than 30 miles of sewer mains and eight lift stations, according to the department. Smoke testing helps crews find places where stormwater or groundwater is leaking into the sanitary system, a problem that can overload the treatment plant and contribute to backups.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Milford.