NEWS RELEASE
October 19, 2006 

SMOKE TESTING OF WEST HARTFORD SEWERS CONCLUDES

            WEST HARTFORD – The Metropolitan District Commission and its engineering consultants, CDM, have concluded the smoke testing of more than 52 miles of sewers in town.

Between September 25 and October 16, approximately 275,000 feet of sewers on some 300 streets were smoke tested in an effort to identify locations where storm flow was connected to the sanitary sewer. The testing procedure involved forcing a non-toxic smoke into the sewer system and viewing if any outlets connected to the sewer vent the smoke. Outlets are typically identified as roof stacks on buildings, catch basins and sewer manhole covers. Other outlets for the smoke include gutters, catch basins and cracks in the road or even landscaping. The sewer system in West Hartford was last smoke-testing in1997.

“We sincerely appreciate the public’s cooperation during this testing, which is an important part of our overall effort to improve the sewer system in town,” said Robert Weimar, MDC Chief of Program Management.

CDM will analyze the results over the next several weeks. Preliminary results indicate the existence of some illegal connections that allow stormwater to enter the sanitary sewer system, which strains the capacity of the sewer downstream; contributes to sewage backups in basements; causes overflows to local streams and rivers and taxes the capacity of the Hartford Water Pollution Control Facility.

Sources of illicit connections include roof leaders, catch basins, driveway drains and sump pumps. Storm water also can enter the sewer through cracks in the pipe. 

            The MDC has been cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice for overflows from the sewer systems in West Hartford, Newington, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill and Windsor. The MDC was fined $850,000 and signed a consent decree to cease all overflows by 2018. The MDC also is about to sign a consent order with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection to control the combined sewer overflows in the Hartford sewer system to initiated the Clean Water Project, a long-term program of sewer system repair and system upgrades to eliminate overflows and basement backups. The Clean Water Project will include work in all MDC member towns over the next 10 to 15 years.         

            The sewer system in West Hartford was last smoke tested in 1997.

The MDC is a non-profit municipal corporation chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly to provide water and sewerage services on a regional basis.  The MDC provides quality water supply, water pollution control, mapping and hydroelectric power services to eight member municipalities, Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor and water to portions of four non-member towns:  Glastonbury, Farmington, South Windsor and East Granby.

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