Sewer smoke testing notice

On behalf of the city, work crews will be smoke testing sanitary sewers in some neighborhoods weather permitting,  Monday, March 13-Friday, March 17. Door hangers will be distributed to the affected neighborhoods.

Testing will begin before 9 a.m. each day. 

These tests will assist Eaton Public Works in locating potential defects in the sewer system as a commitment to asset management and in an effort to reduce inflow/infiltration. 

During the test:

• You may see smoke coming from vent stacks on buildings 
• You may see smoke coming from holes in the ground.

Don't be alarmed. The smoke has no odor, is non-toxic, non-staining, does not create a fire hazard and will dissipate in a few minutes.

Before the smoke test is conducted, residents in the affected neighborhoods are asked to pour water into their basement floor drains and into any unused sinks. This will seal the drain traps so smoke will not enter your building through the drain. If smoke should enter your building during the test, it probably means there are defects in the plumbing which could allow dangerous sewer gas to enter.

If this occurs, open doors and windows to ventilate any smoke which enters the building, note the location of the smoke, and call the number at the bottom of the door hanger card to arrange a meeting with an inspector. 

A map of the testing area can be downloaded below.