West Plains, MO. –The City of West Plains announced today one of the previously talked about smoke testing periods is set to occur today. Citizens may see smoke rise from pieces of their home connected to the sewer system.
The City of West Plains and personnel from Burns & McDonnell will be conducting smoke testing on the sanitary sewer lines throughout the city during the period of: August 15, 2022 – September 30, 2022.
West Plains is conducting smoke testing in order to possibly:
- Locate sewer defects before they become more serious.
- Reduce quantity and severity of sewer backups.
- Reduce costs of added sewer cleaning and treatment due to defects.
- Better understand sewer connections within the system.
During the testing, it is likely that residents will see smoke coming out of the ground, manhole covers and possibly out of homes. The smoke is non-toxic, non-staining, has no odor, is white-to- gray in color and creates no fire hazard. The smoke will only enter buildings if they have defective plumbing or dry drain traps.
Residents are advised that to prevent smoke from rising out of appropriately-connected drains inside their homes, make sure that traps for all basement floor drains and other sink traps and plumbing fixtures are full of water by pouring approximately 24 ounces of water in each drain before the scheduled test. Smoke may be visible from the downspout (gutters), which means they are connected to the sanitary sewer system and no need to be alarmed.
City officials caution that although there is no reason to expect difficulties, they wanted to make the public aware of the testing. The West Plains Police and Fire Departments have been notified of the planned testing and will know what areas of town are testing and when. If residents see smoke, feel free to contact City Hall at 417-256-7176.
