City of Gainesville receives new equipment to help clean and clear sewer lines
Above left, the city of Gainesville maintenance employees Mike Davis, threading the hose into a manhole, Levi Evans, to Davis’s left, and Josh Easterday work with the new trailer-mounted sewer jetter to test how the equipment will help the city remove debris and clear main sewer lines. Above right, after the workers jet the sewer lines, they can run the city’s sewer camera into the line to see how clean it is and if there are any more spots that need additional jetting. The camera is able to measure how far it is inserted into the sewer line and can replay the information to the employees making it easy for them to know where they need to use the sewer jetter to remove additional debris. The city plans to slowly work toward viewing and cleaning all lines in the next few years, according to Water Specialist Jessi Price. “This is time consuming but will be worth it to keep our sewer moving freely to the treatment plant,” she said.
The city of Gainesville recently received its new sewer jetter, a piece of equipment that uses highly pressurized water to clean sewer lines.
The city council approved the purchase of the Mongoose brand jetter from Armour Equipment on July 29, 2021, for $54,603; however, the jetter didn’t get delivered until April of this year due to covid-related delays on parts and assembly, according to City Water Specialist Jessi Price.
“The jetter allows us to clean the sewer main lines and remove any build up or debris, which allows sewage to flow freely down the lines to the treatment plant,” she said. “This will also help us to avoid any stop-ups and delays in sewer functions.”
Price urges city residents to monitor what goes down sinks and toilets to help the city maintenance crew maintain clean sewer lines.
“Grease, flushable wipes and feminine products should never be flushed,” she said.
The sewer jetter requires two to three city employees to use in order for the equipment to run properly. “Because it does use water at high pressure to both clean the lines and remove any build up, it is important to have a second employee at another manhole to watch and catch any unlodged debris for removal. So we need one employee running the machine, one monitoring any unlodged debris and one watching the manhole that is next in line.”
The majority of Gainesville’s sewer lines date back to the early 1970s and before.
“Because of where manholes are placed along the lines, you never know where our guys might be working. Please keep an eye out for them, and remember to give them plenty of room to work as you navigate around them,” she said.