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ShareSewer videographer sought
By Jeff Nagel - Surrey North Delta Leader
Published: September 04, 2008 10:00 AM
Updated: September 04, 2008 10:18 AM
It may not exactly be a videographer's dream gig.
But Metro Vancouver is looking for firms that can record the innards of the region's sewer system.
The tender call for the video inspection of 18,800 metres of sanitary sewer lines demands "the highest available sharpness and colour contrast."
Metro spokesman Bill Morrell said sending remote cameras into the sewers is done to avoid having to send workers.
"If you can do it remotely, that's what you want," he said. "It's not just the ick factor. There's gases and everything else down there."
The monitoring is done regularly, he said, to watch for trouble in the lines.
Engineers need to know where there are pipe fractures or tree roots starting to intrude.
But Morrell said the biggest problems are often blockages – which may involve "globs of icky fat and grease" – that can back up the system.
The region is also working on a long-term effort to end its use of combined sewers, which cause sewage overflows into area waterways during heavy rainfall periods.
Eventually, there will be separate lines everywhere in the region for storm water and sanitary sewage, ending the problem.
jnagel@surreyleader.com
