Southlake Water Utilities Continues Sanitary Sewer Smoke Testing

Southlake Water Utilities will continue sanitary sewer smoke testing through the month of November. No smoke testing will be conducted the week of Thanksgiving.

Southlake Water Utilities, in partnership with RJN Engineering, has been conducting sanitary sewer smoke testing since mid-October.  Smoke testing is performed in order to help locate any possible problems with the sanitary sewer system. To perform the testing, RJN personnel will need access to manholes which are located in streets, front yards, back yards and public utility easements.

To help notify residents prior to testing, RJN representatives will be going door-to-door in the testing areas to provide door hangers with information and to answer any questions. RJN field personnel are uniformed and possess identification badges. Homeowners do not need to be home during this project and at no time will field crews need to enter your home or business. Southlake personnel will also be on site during testing to help answer any questions. Residents can also look for roadside message boards in the testing area.

Some residents may notice smoke coming from roof vent stacks on houses or from the ground. The smoke is non-toxic, and does not create a fire hazard. Deputy Director of Public Works Cristina McMurray says this testing is common practice, “This type of testing is a common method for a visual inspection of the sanitary sewers. This procedure helps identify any issues so that we can address them and make the necessary corrections to the City’s collection system. Please reach out to us if you have any questions. We are happy to help. ”

While the smoke should not enter your house, if it does, it could be an indicator of defective plumbing or dried up drain traps. If this does happen, residents should consult with a licensed plumber for repairs. The information gained from this study will be used to improve the sanitary sewer collection system.

If you have any questions, please call Public Works Operations at (817) 748-8082 or Amanda Voss, Project Manager with RJN, at
(214) 491-8574.  Please follow the City’s and the DPS Facebook page and Twitter for daily updates.

Testing area for month of November