Don't Worry About That Smoke

If you see smoke in the center of town next week, it will likely be no cause for alarm. Crews contracted by the city will be blowing smoke through sections of the sewer system to check for defects in the main sewer pipes or private laterals or illegal storm drain cross-connections. The crews will be coordinating with Piedmont's police and fire departments to be on the lookout for any real emergencies in the testing area.

If you live in subbasins W1A and W1B—bounded roughly by Oakland Avenue and Magnolia Avenue to the north and south, and Mountain Ave and Arbor Drive to the east and west (see the map to the right)—you should have already received notice that the testing will be going on in your neighborhood over the next couple of weeks, starting July 12. As for residents of the rest of the city, expect to see smoke coming up from manholes, storm drains and roof vents on your block in future summers.

The EPA is requiring Piedmont to test one eighth of its system annually in order to detect leaks through which storm water can infiltrate and overwhelm the sewer system, allowing untreated wastewater to spill into the San Francisco Bay.

Piedmont has elected to start with the W1A and W1B subbasins because the city mains there have been recently rehabilitated. That means smoke coming up from the ground around any leaks or illegal linkages will likely be on private property.

"The emphasis of the smoke testing really is toward the private sewer laterals," Interim Public Works Director Chester Nakahara told the City Council in presenting the testing program Tuesday.

For homeowners who receive a written notice from the city about a defect afterwards, fixes could be costly. Nakahara said repairing a sewer lateral generally falls in the $5,000 to $10,000 range, depending on the length and number of turns in the pipe. He said the city would work with homeowners to find solutions to problems discovered during the testing.

"We don't have a deadline for the compliance, although the EPA will be keeping an eye on us in that respect, so it is something that needs to be addressed," Nakahara said.

Councilman Jeff Wieler, who has had to replace sewer lines at two houses in Piedmont, reassured residents that it's to their benefit to catch any problems early through smoke testing.

"If you have a break in your line, a tree will find it … it's happy hunting ground for tree roots," he said. "You're a lot better off having a puff of smoke coming out of your ground than you are with all your drains not operable. Trust me on this."