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Tales From The Sewer

Pipestone Flyer

Submitted by Jason Gariepy, Village of Thorsby CAO

What do spoons, hockey pucks, and branches have in common? They were all found in Thorsby’s sewer lines during a recent flushing process. Ted Stewart of Thorsby Public Works says, “It took two weeks to flush all of the village’s sewer lines, and I would like to thank the residents for their patience as we worked through the main streets and neighborhoods.”

It is easy to forget about the linear infrastructure that makes a community function. Water and sewer lines are largely unseen until there is an issue such as a line break or backup. The old adage, “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” applies to sewer lines. It is easy to forget about the inspections, repair, replacement, and maintenance, such as flushing, that is required to keep the system functioning.

The Village has nearly 28 kms of sewer lines. Flushing is one of the best preventative maintenance programs to avoid sewer backups. “Our crew (Ted, Phil, and Ted) worked extremely hard to ensure the lines were cleared. Cleaning sewer lines is not the most glamorous job, but it is one of the most critical activities our public works department performs,” says CAO Jason Gariepy. “It had been at least three years, probably longer, since the last sewer flush took place,” he says. Stewart adds, “The lines are as clean as I have ever seen them.”

And now that you know about hockey pucks, spoons and branches that are found in the sewer system, please avoid placing cooking grease and oil, paper towels, handy wipes, diapers, and tampons, kitchen solids, such as watermelons, potato peels, and corn kernels, and other types of chemical in your drain or toilet.