Wayland approves sewer smoke testing

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

WAYLAND ? Seeing smoke may not necessarily indicate a fire in the City of Wayland, in the coming weeks. It may simply mean there?s some work to do on the city?s sewer system.

The Wayland City Council unanimously approved an engineering service agreement for sewer smoke testing during its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday. Jim Warner, of Warner Engineering in Mt. Pleasant, will do the testing. The agreement price was $5,000.

Warner said at some point in the near future the city would be faced with doing a facility plan to upgrade the sewer treatment system. In order to create that plan, the city will need to know where weak or defective parts of the sewer are. That?s where smoke testing comes in.

Smoke testing is when a sanitary sewer system is filled with synthetic smoke and monitored by crews. The smoke will fill the main sewer line and follow the path of any leak to the ground surface.

Warner said besides finding faults in the city?s system, homeowners may also find some smoke in their homes, indicating issues with their plumbing.

?If sewer smoke gets into your home, so can sewer gas,? said Warner.

Warner added that overtime individuals could become insensitive to sewer gas, but the prolonged exposure can lead to illness. Warner said, in his experience, most people continually exposed to sewer gas complain of headaches or continually feeling unwell.

Warner said he would want to do the testing in September or October, but residents would be notified prior to testing.

Warner added when he is testing, he would like to have a firefighter or the police chief with him to check/verify the potential smoke in residents? houses are ?our smoke and not a fire.?

However, if you have any doubt as to the source of the smoke within the home or yard, call 911 immediately.

The council also approved an engineering service agreement with Warner for street improvements.

The agreement, which is at an undetermined price, would be for Warner to map out and get the ?scope? of upcoming street projects. The first street project will be paving West Cummings Street. City Clerk Beverly Conrad said there might also need to be some infrastructure work done on the street, but that would depend on what Warner?s report uncovered.

During the meeting, the council also authorized Conrad to solicit bids for asbestos testing for city owned properties of 211 and 213 West Main Street. Conrad said the city hopes to test the properties this fall so by next spring the city can decide whether to demolish the properties or not.

The council also amended the cooperative agreement for Southeast Iowa Ridge Blasters Inc. snowmobile club to perform trail work in street right-of-way. The council amended the agreement to last for five years. However, the council has the ability to terminate the agreement at any time.

Two approved building permits were reviewed during the meeting. They were for Eichelberger Farms, Inc., for a new wood framed office building 136?8?X110?X34? at 408 North Way Drive (Industrial Park East) and Randy Chalupa to reroof his shed at 311 West 4th Street.

The next meeting of the Wayland City Council will be on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m., in City Hall.