Most of us give little thought to the city’s sewer system, at least until it doesn’t work properly. The Hannibal Board of Public Works undertook a goal this year that if accomplished would help increase the chances that the sewer system would continue to work properly.
The BPW started 2009 with the objective of cleaning 20 percent of the city’s 142-mile sewer system, which translates to just over 28 miles. As of mid-November, 31 miles had already been scoured.
This objective was set in part at the urging of the Missouri Intergovermental Risk Management Association, the city’s insurance carrier. Clean city sewer lines will mean fewer backups into residences. That means not only fewer insurance claims, but far fewer unhappy customers.
The fact the BPW now owns two jet vac trucks makes achieving this goal possible. In past years, when only one truck was available, BPW personnel would frequently have to disrupt sewer cleaning because the truck was needed elsewhere. Now one truck can be dedicated to regular sewer maintenance while the other truck can either be used for sewer cleaning or for service calls.
The program also pays dividends because it helps the BPW identify small sewer line problems before they become full-scale issues, which can be expensive to resolve.
The BPW is to be applauded for not only undertaking this annual objective, but for meeting its goal which in the long term will benefit every resident and employer in our community.
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Most of us give little thought to the city’s sewer system, at least until it doesn’t work properly. The Hannibal Board of Public Works undertook a goal this year that if accomplished would help increase the chances that the sewer system would continue to work properly.
The BPW started 2009 with the objective of cleaning 20 percent of the city’s 142-mile sewer system, which translates to just over 28 miles. As of mid-November, 31 miles had already been scoured.
This objective was set in part at the urging of the Missouri Intergovermental Risk Management Association, the city’s insurance carrier. Clean city sewer lines will mean fewer backups into residences. That means not only fewer insurance claims, but far fewer unhappy customers.
The fact the BPW now owns two jet vac trucks makes achieving this goal possible. In past years, when only one truck was available, BPW personnel would frequently have to disrupt sewer cleaning because the truck was needed elsewhere. Now one truck can be dedicated to regular sewer maintenance while the other truck can either be used for sewer cleaning or for service calls.
The program also pays dividends because it helps the BPW identify small sewer line problems before they become full-scale issues, which can be expensive to resolve.
The BPW is to be applauded for not only undertaking this annual objective, but for meeting its goal which in the long term will benefit every resident and employer in our community.
