Eleven Steps to a Healthy Sanitary Sewer Collection System

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”- Benjamin Franklin. For far too long we in Oklahoma have been ignoring our sanitary sewer systems. Just like our personal health, if we do not practice a proactive approach to maintaining our aging systems, we will encounter costly consequences to our sewer systems sooner or later. If we take measures to maintain our sewers, we can minimize costly repairs and rehabilitations. It is time to stop putting “band aids” on our sewer lines and get them in shape. Here are 11 steps to help you get started on your sanitary sewer line maintenance program.

1. Use Global Information System (GIS) mapping to understand your system. An effective sewer maintenance program revolves around knowing the location of all infrastructure, pipe sizes, length and depth of lines, types of pipe and materials used in manholes. Accurate GIS mapping can help track completed rehabilitation and replacement work, but it begins with identifying exactly where manholes and lamp holes are located.

2. Inspect manholes on a schedule. Depending on the size of your system and staff availability, this may be once a year or every other year. Inspecting manholes will alert you to issues such as excessive debris and blockages, structural issues, and inflow and infiltration sources. Keep records using manhole inspection forms to track maintenance and rehabilitation needs.

3. Perform Draw Down Tests if you have lift stations. The test verifies proper pump performance and should be conducted annually at every lift station to identify issues with floats, isolate excessive grease, and confirm check valves are functional. You might want to check the Air Relief pits to make sure the ball valves are operating efficiently while you are doing the tests.

4. Verify your municipality has an ordinance requiring grease traps at businesses. Restaurants, gas stations, car washes, and other businesses that discharge fats, oils, and grease (FOG) should install a grease trap to avoid clogging the sewer system. Perform random inspections to ensure proper installation and maintenance of grease traps.

5. Do construction observations on sanitary sewer installations for new developments. Sanitary sewers that are not properly bedded are a major problem that leads to further problems for the municipality down the road. Offset frames and covers, chimney damage, and broken pipe are just a few problems resulting from improper new construction. Make sure your sewer mains are identified prior to trenching, drilling, or boring projects to avoid conflicts with your system. Before a developer passes new infrastructure on to the municipality, make sure to perform mandrel testing on sewer mains, and vacuum tests on manholes to confirm proper construction. Also conduct a warranty inspection prior to the warranty expiration to verify whether issues with materials or workmanship have developed during the warranty period.

6. Establish a routine cleaning and jetting program on sewer mains. This process will remove debris buildup and attached deposits to ensure your system is flowing properly and capacity is not being compromised. Jetting and cleaning at least 30% of your system annually so that all lines have been cleaned on a 3-year rotational basis will save a lot of headaches down the road.

7. Perform closed circuit television (CCTV) inspections. After cleaning and jetting, conduct CCTV inspections of the sewer mains to identify leaks or defects in the pipe system.

8. Conduct sump pump inspections. These residential inspections will identify connections to the sewer system. Have an ordinance prohibiting illicit sump pump connections.

9. Perform smoke testing. Smoke testing is a quick and efficient method for detecting storm water connections, roof drain connections, or defective sewer laterals, all of which are contributors to inflow & infiltration (I&I).

10. Conduct wet weather inspections. These can provide valuable information on how precipitation and groundwater conditions affect the flow in your system. Manholes may appear in good condition when it is dry, but they may exhibit leaking joints, missing mortar, and in-flow lid leaks in low-lying areas during wet-weather inspections.

11. Prepare an Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Manual for your sanitary sewer system. An O&M Manual will contain information on your maintenance schedules, identify how to report sanitary sewer overflows, have an emergency contact list, and spell out inspection procedures which can be helpful when training new sewer staff.  It provides invaluable references for both sewer maintenance workers and administrators when it comes time to budget for repairs, rehabs, and rebuilds.

It is time to stop wasting your time “putting out fires” on all the repairs required due to past negligence.  Maintaining a sewer system takes time and commitment, but just like eating right and exercising helps keep a heart healthy, performing sanitary sewer maintenance regularly will greatly improve the health of your sewer system. And we all know preventing a problem saves time and costs less than fixing it after an SSO event happens.

Maximizing Jetter Hose Life

How long will a typical sewer line jetter hose last? That is about as easy to answer as trying to estimate when a jetter’s pump will break down.

A hose is a consumable; it’s not going to last forever. There is no hard-fast rule for how long a hose will last. Hoses are subjected to a harsh environment. Operators often don’t know what they are getting into, and can destroy a hose the first time they put it into a pipe.  On the other hand, there are some simple and relatively inexpensive things you can do to prolong the life of your hose. First and foremost – shield your hose from sharp edges on things like manhole covers, corrugated pipe or broken pipes using a protective sleeve, generally known in the industry as a tiger tail.

Every time you use a hose without a tiger tail, you run the risk of tearing the outer jacket of the hose. Once you get a nick in the outer jacket it reduces the hose’s effectiveness. Tiger tails come in various diameters and lengths. Each one includes a tie-off rope that workers attach to a fixed object near a friction point, like the edge of a broken pipe in the opening of a manhole trough. The tiger tail stays in one place while the jetter hose moves through it, unimpeded by sharp edges. Another useful tool is a manhole roller guide, which also protects the hose from sharp edges as it passes through the manhole opening. Some companies make manhole rollers for use both at street level and down inside the manhole where the hose enters the pipe at the trough.

Regularly cleaning hoses helps extend their life, so operators should wipe down a hose as it is being pulled back to the hose reel. Hoses can come into contact with damaging chemicals and waste gases. You don’t want residue from waste eating away at the hose. Having a clean hose also minimizes odors when storing in a closed space. Also, it is difficult to detect nicks and cuts on a hose that is grimy and dirty.

Another suggestion is for operators to use a leader hose, typically a 10-15 foot long rubber hose that attaches to the front end of the jetting hose at one end and the jetter nozzle at the other end. This hose is also called a sacrificial hose because it takes the brunt of the load as it goes through the pipe. Because it is rubber, a lead hose is more flexible than the thermoplastic-coated jetter hose, so it can make its way through bends in pipes easier. The leader hose is cheaper to replace than the jetter hose and you can afford to have 2-3 extras on hand in case you damage one in the field. Just grab a spare from the shop, unscrew the old one and screw on the new one and you’re up and running again. The leader hose also boosts jobsite safety. When operators see one emerge from the line they know the end of the hose will follow shortly, alerting them to power down the pump.

Finally, another way to increase the life of your hose is to regularly inspect every inch of the hose for nicks and cuts. It is suggested that you perform an inspection at the start or end of a job, or even both. Some supervisors have their crew take the hose completely off the hose reel every week laying it out in the parking lot for a thorough inspection. If a worker finds a defect, they tag it out and the hose gets repaired or replaced. This is very time consuming but may well be the most valuable half-hour that the operators spend each week. There is a lot at stake when a hose goes. The braid on a jetter hose is like a suspension bridge; when the strands starts to break away, eventually the bridge is going to fail.

It is understandable that operators may not want to take the time to inspect their equipment and especially the hose. This inspection can help prevent costly damage and terrible accidents though. Also note that hose repairs can not be done with a hose clamp and duct tape. There is no way that’s going to hold back water at 3,000 psi. Take the time to inspect and be safe.

OMAG has a grant for Sewer Maintenance Equipment. To learn more about this grant go to www.omag.org, click on “free services” then “grants and scholarships” and look for Sewer Maintenance Equipment Grant.

Reducing Inflow and Infiltration in Wastewater Systems

Stormwater flowing into a municipality’s sewer system through low gully traps, illegal connections, broken pipes, and unsealed manholes can cause overflows, system strains, and interruptions in your sewer operations. This is known as Inflow and Infiltration; aka I&I.

Why bother to fix Inflow & Infiltration?

By identifying I&I early and reducing their levels, municipalities can benefit from:

1. Reduced localized overflows: Through the management of overflows from manholes during rainfall, controlled overflow points, pump stations, and treatment plants.

2. Improve operational efficiencies: I&I reduces the sewer system capacity, limiting the potential for growth within a specific catchment.

3. Reduced ongoing costs: I&I results in clear water being pumped and treated along with wastewater, contributing to increased costs.

How to identify whether you have an I&I problem

Councils and water authorities can identify whether they have existing I&I issues within their system by looking for these indicators:

• Pumps run for hours and inflows increase significantly during storm events

• The hydraulic loading of wastewater treatment plants increases significantly after a rain event

• Localized overflows occur within a collection system during a heavy storm event

• An increase in inflow during dry weather conditions compared to previous months

Steps to reduce I&I within your wastewater system

First, identify the general vicinity of the issue through flow monitoring. Then identify the exact problem, locate the area(s) where it is occurring, and introduce measures to improve the situation.

The following steps provide a simple overview of an I&I reduction plan that can assist in identifying various stages associated with reducing I&I in a wastewater system:

1. Targeted monitoring – monitoring wastewater flows within the system

2. Identifying the problem – is it inflow or infiltration?

3. Source detection – where is it occurring within the system?

4. Rehabilitation – what can be done to reduce or eliminate the problem(s)?

Source detection

A few ways to detect the sources of I&I include:

Private Inspections – after receiving and documenting permission from property owners, inspecting private properties consists of visual assessments of the stormwater and wastewater networks within a property. Illegal connections could mean that a stormwater down pipe is directly connected to a wastewater gully trap.

Manhole Inspection – Manhole inspections can identify leaks from broken pipes, and joints due to tree root intrusion or design issues. Manholes can contribute to significant I&I through leaky covers as well.

Smoke Testing – Smoke testing locates I&I sources by identifying stormwater drain cross connections, broken pipes, and laterals, or unsealed manholes.

Dye Testing – Dye testing can be used to identify leaks and confirm smoke test results. The method uses water mixed with a non-toxic dye. The colored water Is pumped through the ground and storm water system and appears in the sanitary sewer collection system where leaks and illegal connections occur.

CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras – CCTV allows authorities to visualize the inside of pipes by using a small camera that travels down the length of a pipe to produce a visual representation of its condition. CCTV inspections can reveal the need for rehabilitating leaky pipes, facilitate grease or root removal, identify improper taps into the municipal lines, or find broken lateral connections.

Rehabilitation of Wastewater systems

Rehabilitation can include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Seal manholes and replace leaky covers

• Use cured-in-place piping (CIPP), trenchless rehabilitation or chemical grouting to seal leaks, and open cut replacement pipes

• Raise gully traps and disconnect stormwater downpipes from the gully trap and redirect into stormwater systems

• Fix broken laterals (reline or replace); fix any other private connections which might be improperly or illegally tapped into the municipal system

OMAG Risk Management Services wants to assist our municipalities in providing a safer and more efficient sanitary sewer system for their constituents. We offer several grants and programs to help you get started. Contact William Sheppard (wsheppard@omag.org) for more information if you are interested in improving your sanitary sewer system by reducing Inflow and Infiltration.

News Release: Only Flush: Poo, Pee, & Paper (Toilet)

In Oklahoma cities and towns one of the most frequent and potentially costly insurance claims is a sanitary sewer overflow (aka sewer back up). With the recent toilet paper shortage, many people have turned to purchasing and using “flushable wipes”. Please, don’t use these! Flushable wipes, though advertised as safe for sewer and septic systems, are not. They are not designed to be biodegradable, despite what the manufacturer puts on the label.

Items like flushable wipes, tampons, sanitary napkins, dental floss, diapers, cotton swabs, and bandages are not designed to be flushed down the toilet.

What can be flushed? Only three things: Poo, Pee, and Toilet Paper. These other items get caught up in fats, greases, oils, and debris in the sewer system and cause clogs known as “fatbergs”. This can cause a back up in your personal sewer line or in the municipality’s sewer lines. It can even make it all the way to the sewer treatment plant and destroy thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment.

Protect your property, the property of your neighbors, and your municipality’s property. Only flush the 3 Ps (poo, pee, and paper). If you use flushable wipes or other products not biodegradable put them in plastic bags and place them in your trash.

This message was provided by your local municipality and Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG). OMAG is the liability insurance provider for most cities and towns in Oklahoma (for more information regarding this release contact Bill Tackett, OMAG Chief Risk Officer/Director of Risk Management).

Don't Flush Wipes!

Dangers of Flushing Those “Flushable”

Wipes People are flushing wipes down toilets – and this is causing dangerous problems for both private citizens and municipalities’ sewer lines. The flushable wipes cause private sewer lines to back up at a cost to the homeowner, but if they make it into the municipal sewer system they can mix with greases and cause major sewer backups in the lines. If they make it into the wastewater plant they can damage system machinery.

Toilet paper is designed to disintegrate in pipes and sewage systems, but wipes are not. They’re typically made with synthetic materials, plastics or polyester, that won't break down. So even if they flush down the toilet, they end up clogging sewers. This poses hazardous risks to sewage professionals that must break these clogs up and the costs are considerable. Some cities have spent millions of dollars a year to address damages and clear pipes.

As wipes meet cooking fat in the sewage system, they build up into a monstrous obstacle, a “fatberg.” A fatberg is a huge mass of solid waste largely consisting of cooking fats, disposable wipes, tampons, and other sanitary items that get flushed down the toilet. They’re unhygienic, expensive to fix, and incredibly gross. Clogs and fatbergs make jobs that are already hazardous and very difficult even more so.

So, why are wipes advertised as “flushable”?

You can attempt to flush many things down a toilet (if you have a child, perhaps you've seen the random stuff someone may put down the drain...) but that doesn’t mean they’ll effectively move through the sewage system.

Companies can currently label wipes as “flushable” simply because they aren’t restricted from doing so. Companies aren't required to prove flushability before asserting this claim and it seems most would fail any such test. A study out of Canada tested 101 wipes on the market for flushability and not even one passed. This marketing technique is misleading, and we need provisions to keep companies from freely using it and sparking customer confusion.

While there have been policy attempts to curtail deceptive “flushable” labels (California is debating a bill that would require products to be clearly labeled.) these moves have been met by significant resistance from the industry.

Solutions to Keep the Pipes Clear

One of the last things we need during a serious global pandemic is clogged sewers overflowing into the streets. Utility departments urge citizens to stop flushing wipes and to only flush bodily waste and toilet paper. Wipes are also not recyclable, so they need to go to the trash bin.

To address this issue beyond our homes, we can urge our elected officials to hold companies making these wipes accountable for the costs to our municipal sewage systems. We can also contact companies by tagging them on social media and ask them to stop using “flushable” claims.

If you value the health of your community and your sewer system, please contact your local newspaper and have them pass on the information about flushable wipes clogging up our sewer lines or put a copy of this article in with your utility bill.

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*Image used from: https://www.alphr.com/energy/1007087/londons-monster-fatberg-human-waste/

Manhole Cover Opening, Tips and Tricks

Occasionally we underestimate how heavy manhole covers are and the difficulty in opening them. They rattle when we drive over them, so they should be a snap to pop open, right? Wrong! Manhole covers are very heavy; most are constructed of cast iron. Removing one improperly can result in serious back and/or spine injury.

Having the right tool for the job is the key to completing this task safely. Using a manhole hook, often called a manhole key, to remove manhole covers is a great tool for safely opening the cover. Manhole keys come in a variety of sizes and styles. Make sure to use the correct manhole key for the manhole covers you have in your municipality. Another excellent multi-task tool is a pick (with a point on one end and a flat horizontal claw on the other end). A long heavy-duty flat screwdriver can be helpful too, or a hammer with an extra-long handle and a straight claw. Consider the types of manholes you have in your municipality. Some manhole covers don’t have the keyhole built into them - they have a grooved slot around the rim - a pick works best on these manhole covers.

Manhole covers are difficult to open on the best of days. Here is a tip to help get stubborn manholes popped. Occasionally, a manhole cover gets stuck in its ring. When this happens, we usually resort to the tools we have on hand to pry the cover open. Most often the “go-to” tool is the sledgehammer and when used, what follows is usually a lot of effort and lack of success. Far too often, the cover is broken after too many sledgehammer strikes, trying to avoid spending the time getting the backhoe to the job site. Breaking lids are not only costly but also dangerous. Joel Baker, Public Works Operator for the Town of Talala has a method that saves a lot of time and effort. He recommends ensuring the edge of the manhole cover is clear of dirt, debris, or other sediments that cause the manhole lid to bind in the hole making it more difficult to dislodge. Once the edge of the cover has been cleaned, Joel pours a liberal amount of water around the edge of the manhole cover. Allow the water a few minutes to work its way in to loosen debris between the ring and cover. Take your time, it’s better than beating the cover senseless with a sledgehammer and wearing yourself out. Now, once the water has had time to work, give the manhole cover a couple of shots with your sledgehammer and it should pop loose. If not, you can pour more water into the gap.

This technique works on most manholes lids and has saved many from being broken. There is no magic wand or silver bullet when it comes to stuck manhole lids. Occasionally, you will come across a stubborn lid that won’t budge no matter how hard you pry or how much water you pour. In these cases, it is better to use a backhoe or similar equipment to lift the cover

Manhole keys are the recommended tool for the job, but there are other methods to dislodge stuck lids. However, it is crucial to exercise caution when using tools not specifically designed to open manholes. Crowbars and screwdrivers are also effective at prying open a lid from its ring. However, neither the crowbar nor the screwdriver can actually lift the lid, they merely create a gap to wedge another tool, like the pick/key under to lift the lid. Avoid lifting the manhole lid with your hands if possible.

Regardless of which tool or method is employed to open manhole covers, safety should always be the top priority. Covers are rough, rusty, and sometimes have sharp edges. Be sure that you’re wearing heavy-duty gloves to protect your hands from injury when lifting manholes covers. Pay close attention to keep your hands clear of pinch points. Also, make sure to straddle the manhole cover and lift with your back straight and your knees bent.