City of Deltona utilities staff described smoke testing of the sanitary sewer system to find defects that allow surface water to enter sewer lines and laterals.

Jim Parrish, deputy utility director with the City of Deltona, explained the test: crews introduce a "non toxic, harmless, residual less, smoke into our sanitary sewer system" from a blower at a manhole and then observe streets and properties for smoke that indicates defects. "We're gonna allow the sanitary sewer system to fill up with smoke, and then we're gonna have observers walking down each side of the street so we can check to see are there any sort of defects or imperfections in the pipe," Parrish said.

Parrish described what crews expect to see when the system is closed: smoke exiting roof vents, and he advised residents that if smoke enters a home because of a dry trap they can "run your faucet in your home for a couple of seconds, fill up that trap, and it should stop the smoke from coming in." Parrish added, "it is non toxic, it has no residual, it's not going to hurt you."

During testing, staff said they observed smoke coming up around a manhole cover, indicating an ill-fitting cover allowing intrusion, and found a residence with a missing clean-out cap that produced a large smoke plume; staff said adding a new cap would address the issue. Parrish said the testing helps staff locate defects so the city can "come back and take care of" problems discovered.

No regulatory actions or funding decisions were announced during the remarks.