The Town in conjunction with Woodard & Curran has contracted BMC Corp. to conduct sewer system smoke testing for the purpose of locating sources of inflow to the sewer system on Sept. 24th and 26th weather permitted.
The Town of Acton Engineering Department has worked with our consultant, Woodard and Curran, to conduct several studies to identify Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) entering the sewer system. Inflow and Infiltration is the introduction of water into a municipal sewer system as the result of direct inflow from external sources such as a sump pump, roof leaders, french drains, or driveway drains and etc. Inflow and Infiltration can also occur via infiltration of groundwater or rainwater due to leaks in the infrastructure.
There are several reasons why it is important to prevent I/I from entering the sewer system. Sewer backups and overflows are a public health risk and can harm the surrounding environment. Sewer backups and overflow also lead to higher sewer bills and reduced property values. Preventing I/I also reduces the amount of water traveling through our pump stations, which in turn increases the service life of the aforementioned pumps and frees up capacity in our system to allow for future connections. Additionally, the reduction of this amount of water will reduce costs to the Town and its users.
The study will locate direct and indirect connections such as catch basins, area drains, roof drains, broken sewer pipe and deteriorated pipe joints. Please see attached informational flyer for more and detailed information on Smoke Testing.
The following area are scheduled to be tested on the 24th and 26th
Main Street (approx.#90 - #105, and #170 - #263 )
Kelley’s Corner Main Street and Mass Ave.
River Street (from School St to #65)
Carriage Drive (from River St to # 4)
Olde Surrey Drive
Hillcrest Drive
Gioconda Ave (#6 - #8)
Railroad Street
Maple Street
Martin Street ( #21 - # 36)
If you have any questions, please contact the Engineering Department at Engineering@actonma.gov or call us at 978-929-6630.
To view the Smoke Testing Map click here.