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Crap, I misread the headline. Thought they finally found a use for smokers.
Jody Crabtree's job includes blowing a little smoke every now and then.
"It's a way to examine sewers and storm drains," the Augusta Utilities Department engineer said. "If you smoke one, you look to see if it comes out in the other."
A series of smoke-blowing sessions was conducted Tuesday as part of an effort to track down the source of bacteria-laden water entering the Savannah River.
Storm drains send rainwater to the river, while sanitary sewers flow directly to the city's wastewater treatment plant.
Sometimes those flows mingle, but determining why -- and where -- requires detective work.
"That's pretty much what a lot of this is," Crabtree said as a gas-powered smoke machine was aimed into a storm drain on Olde Town's Second Street.
The harmless smoke, made from mineral oil, billowed from one drain after another, until it filled the entire block.
Nearby sewer lines, yielded no telltale traces of an overlap.
"None of the storm pipes along Second Street have cross-flow into the sanitary sewer (and vice versa), based on the smoke test," said Garrett Weiss, the manager of the city's Stormwater and Environmental Section.
He said the source of elevated levels of fecal coliform entering the river has been narrowed down to a smaller area and might be coming from a side street along Second Street, south of Ellis, where investigations will continue.
The smoke is one tool used to trace leaks or cracks that can allow sewage to contaminate storm drains, and the streams they eventually flow into. Other methods include introducing dyes into roof drains or other household areas, then looking to see whether it appears in nearby sewer lines.
The contamination came to light as part of a project last month by The Augusta Chronicle in which water samples from 50 locations were analyzed for a story on water quality and bacteriological monitoring.
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Crap, I misread the headline. Thought they finally found a use for smokers.
Thanks to Rob Pavey for breaking this story that the AJC followed after Rob brought it to light. It looks like the city has finally gotten the message and is trying to fix the problem. I was amazed at the way it was downplayed for awhile. Thankfully, it appears the strategy of denial has turned into one to find the sewage leaks and prevent contamination of the river. The sewage pipes tied into the drains should have been found and eliminated years ago.
Notice how they're working only in the downtown area. The vast majority of Richmond County storm drains empty into the myriad creeks all over town. That water eventually finds its way into the Savannah, but you can bet that they won't bother smoking all the storm drains because they're interested only in the downtown area.
fecal coliform ... lovely ...
They are working in that area because there was evidence of a crossover between storm drains and sewers in that area. They're also taking a closer look at a similar site along the canal's third level, behind the old Davidson school. It was impressive to watch these guys run the machine and eliminate blocks of homes in their search for the source. Most of the sewers are separate from the storm drains now. Can you imagine how it must have been in the 60s, before the Clean Water Act? Back then, almost everything went into the storm drains, and eventually to our rivers and streams.
Rob Pavey wrote:
They are working in that area [downtown – LL] because there was evidence of a crossover . . . .
They were working downtown because a triathalon is coming soon, and the mayor will be swimming in the Savannah River downtown. I can tell you that there are plenty of "crossovers" between sanitary and storm sewers all over the county. It is good to see that the city possesses smoke machines, and I even heard that they possess video equipment to inspect sewers. But they don't spend much time using them unless there is political heat.
It's common sense to me that all sewage entering the river via the storm drains should be stopped. This is a start.
Check around 2nd and Greene. Every time I cleaned out the gutter in front of my old house there, the smell that would come out of the storm drain was horrendous.
Yes, RM, it is a start. But as soon as the iron man triathalon is over, the smoke will be finished.
I will say, though, that searches such as this do reach a point of diminishing returns. They probably have reached that point, and the smoke testing is now being done only for the photo opportunities.
The Savannah River is one of most polluted rivers in the U.S.,mainly due to Augusta's industry. Mercury,Lead and Phosphates all contribute to the rivers foulness.
They should find the leak quickly b/c they are great at blowin smoke.
Yes, seabeau, there is some pollution in the Savannah River, but the water is safe to drink.
Nothing but a show."fecal coliform" suddenly brings out the investigators, but the tons of pollutants openly dumped into the river by known industries under their noses means nothing.
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