Notice to all Customers of the Wastewater System

Beginning the week of November 3, the City of Wilmore will begin making significant improvements and repairs to the wastewater collection system throughout the City.

One contractor will replace the 15" sewer main with a 24" sewer main -- the sewer main is the primary pipe which collects and carries all of the wastewater from the community to the treatment plant.  The pipe runs west from the treatment plant (parallel to the creek which is adjacent to East Main Street) and then under the railroad at the Mini-Park.

A second contractor will be working in other parts of the City, particularly south of College St., rehabilitating other sewer lines.  The rehabilitation includes cleaning and videotaping the inside of the sewer lines, while the pipes are in the ground and in service, to determine where and how to make appropriate repairs.  The cleaning process uses a forced water device to scour the inside of the sewer pipes, and then a "pipe-sized" video camera is pulled through the pipe to take the pictures.

During the course of cleaning the sewer lines, there are some possible "side effects" that Wilmore's sewer customers need to know about.

First, if the contractor is working in your neighborhood, there may be some smell in your home or business associated with the cleaning process.  If you detect an odor, open a window,  and run water in the sinks, tubs, and floor drains to fill the traps.

Second, the cleaning procedure may cause the water in your commodes to "gurgle and splash".  You will want to keep the lid closed on the commodes when the contractor is servicing your neighborhood.

Third, on rare occasion, wastewater may actually back up into floor drains and cause water to overflow from commodes and interior drains.  This happens if the plumbing system on the property is not constructed according to modern plumbing codes.  Specifically, if the plumbing system is not properly vented, the potential exists for wastewater to back up in interior piping.  This would typically occur in older homes and buildings.

If you have any reason to suspect that your home or building is at risk of incurring any sewer backup because of the cleaning procedure, please contact the City of Wilmore at 858-4251 or 858-4411 at your earliest opportunity.  A representative from the City will evaluate the risk of backup on your property and, if necessary, discuss preventative measures which can be implemented.

David Carlstedt,
   Director of Utilities