FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
I received a notice from the Sewer Division regarding cleaning the sewer, what does it mean?
The Town is performing regularly scheduled preventative maintenance on the sanitary sewers in your neighborhood. This cleaning is performed with a low pressure, high volume water jetting machine. View a sample notice here.
Why haven’t I ever seen a notice before?
You may or may not have received a notice in the past. However, it is now Town policy to notify neighborhoods scheduled for preventative maintenance prior to cleaning so residents can take preventative measures against any possible mess.
What preventative measures to I need to take?
- Drape a towel over the ceramic rim of all toilets in the house, close the lid and seat onto the towel as a weight, to prevent it from moving.
- Cover all basement floor drains, kitchen sinks and all shower drains with an old towel and weighted object over the towel.
- Close the drains in all sinks/bathtubs and add a weighted towel over them too.
Can I use the restroom/shower/do laundry during the times listed on the notice?
Yes. Replace all towels immediately after you are done.
How will I know when the Town is done?
Unfortunately, we cannot easily tell you when we are going to be done with a specific address. Occasionally, other issues or weather may delay cleaning in your neighborhood. However, you can trust no scheduled preventative maintenance will be performed outside of the listed hours. If there is a delay, you will receive another notice with additional hours listed. If there is a sewer emergency in your neighborhood, you will not receive a notice due to its time sensitive nature.
The Town was recently doing sewer cleaning in my neighborhood and now my house has a slight sewer smell.
Cleaning may evacuate the water from the traps in your floor drains, toilets, sinks, tubs and showers. After the cleaning, we recommend you run water in all of your drains to refill the traps. Filling the traps prevents sewer odor from entering your home.
How long does it take the clean the whole Town?
The actual time may vary, but it can take five years to clean and televise the Town’s sanitary sewer system. This includes both Town employees and contractors performing the work.
Does the Town perform sewer cleaning year-round?
When the weather is warm enough (> 50 degrees), we generally crews performing sewer cleaning. However, this work is weather dependent and other projects may interrupt preventative maintenance. Occasionally, in an emergency, we may have to perform sewer cleaning, regardless of temperature, and will not be able to notify residents due to the time sensitive nature of the event.