If you walk by a manhole or a city street sewer drain and see mysterious clouds of smoke coming from below, don’t be alarmed. There is no fire; it’s not a problem; and, no, it’s not some city workers getting high underground on the public’s dime.

Instead, what’s happening is that – from now through March – city contractors will be using smoke to test the city’s sewer lines. During that testing, the smoke – which poses no danger to your health – will be sent into manholes to flow through sewer lines.

The smoke will help identify open breaks in the city’s sewer collection system, and it will also detect problematic connections.

The city started the tests last week and the testing will continue through mid to late March.

In this round of tests, the city contractor will perform sewer line smoke testing in the following neighborhoods.

  • Green Valley
  • Hamilton Forest
  • The Industrial Avenue area
  • Along South Elm Street
  • Woodlea and Woodlea Lakes

The city states that the smoke is “non-toxic, non-staining, white-to-gray in color, has a slight odor, and creates no fire hazard,” and adds, “City water and sewer service customers should pour a gallon of water into every sink, tub, and floor drain not used on a daily basis before February 17. This will fill the P-traps and ultimately prevent smoke from entering the building.”

Also, traffic signs and cones will mark testing locations and drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes.

The dates and times of the sewer smoke tests might change due to weather or last-minute changes in the work schedule.

This project is part of the City of Greensboro’s ongoing Sewer Rehabilitation Program, which is being funded by revenue from the water and sewer charges that you find each month on your water bill.

You can visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/RoadProjects to learn more about specific lane and road closures. You can also sign up to subscribe to receive email notifications about upcoming work on city streets.

The city is using this opportunity to remind people that, if they have water and sewer emergencies – including main breaks and sewer stoppages, or changes in taste, odor or color of drinking water – they should call Water Resources 24-hour Dispatch at 336-373-2033.

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