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Summer is the season for sewer cleaning. The City has 9.38 miles of sanitary sewer lines. Each year, the Public Works department cleans approximately one-half of the City's sanitary sewer lines. The sanitary sewer lines are cleaned using high performance sewer cleaning equipment. A cleaning nozzle is propelled from one manhole to the next using water under high pressure. The nozzle is then pulled back to the starting manhole. As the nozzle is pulled back, water scours the inside of the sanitary sewer pipe. Any debris in the pipe is pulled back with the water. The debris is removed from the manhole with a vacuum unit. If roots are found, they are cut with a root cutter. This process is repeated on every sewer line cleaned.

During cleaning of sanitary sewer lines, air occasionally vents into a home through the sanitary sewer service line and ventilation system. When this happens water in the toilet bowl can bubble or surge or, in rare cases, splash out of the bowl. The common causes of air venting into homes during sanitary sewer cleaning are: air movement from normal cleaning operations, the use of higher pressure necessary when cleaning sanitary sewer lines that have a steep slope, sewer lines running close to the building, a plugged roof vent, and the size and complexity of the home's waste and ventilation system. So, to minimize water splashing out of your toilet bowl, make it a habit to keep the lid down.