One component of the maintenance program is to provide cleaning maintenance of sanitary sewers on a scheduled basis. The City has been divided into 122 areas, which are divided among four 2-man crews, which clean and inspect these areas about every two years. Prior to the acquisition of modern high pressure cleaning equipment in the late 1970's, much of the City's sewer system had never been inspected or cleaned and the City experienced numerous complaints along with over 100 stoppages per year. A stoppage is a clogged sewer which can cause backups and odors and often results in flooded basements and property damage. Another maintenance effort involves the removal of tree roots from sanitary sewers.
Tree roots can be a real menace, damaging sewers and causing sewers to plug.
Tree roots seek the moisture and nutrients offered by leaky pipe joints usually found in the older and often broken sewer pipes. Traditional root removal methods were limited to rodding with a circular toothed bit which often proved ineffective in dense root areas. Wastewater Collection currently controls roots by applying a mild herbicide foam from within the sanitary sewer which kills the roots in a confined area, within and around, the sanitary sewer. The herbicide is effective in killing the problem roots, is not harmful to the tree, and is approved by the EPA as an acceptable root control product which does not interfere with wastewater treatment processes. One of the critical components of the preventative maintenance program involves internal inspection of sanitary sewers using a TV camera.