The City of Sequim Public Works Department will conduct sanitary sewer smoke testing July 19-23 in the area between North Sequim Avenue to Blake Avenue and from Washington Street north to Fir Street.

The testing will include East Oak Street, West Willow Street and north Elkhorn Loop.

Residents should look for a bright pink door hanger and green and blue A-frame board signs in their neighborhood with the specific dates for testing in their vicinity.

Sanitary sewer smoke testing tests the system for defects, breaks, leaks and faulty connections.

Neighborhoods and individual properties will be notified in advance when smoke testing will take place in their specific area.

Testing involves opening manholes and filling the sewer lines with non-toxic smoke. During the tests, residents may see smoke coming from vent stacks on buildings or from holes in the ground such as manhole covers, storm drains and building foundations.

If residents see smoke, there is no need for alarm, city representatives say; the smoke has no odor, is non-toxic, non-staining, does not create a fire hazard and will dissipate in a few minutes.

There is no need for the testing crew to enter any homes or building, city officials note.

The chemical make-up of the smoke compound can be found on the City of Sequim website (sequimwa.gov) or by contacting the Public Works Department at 360-683-4908.

If residents do see smoke in their building, they should consult a licensed plumber in the near future to identify the smoke access area, as the potential exists for sewer gasses to enter the building in the same manner, city representatives said. Simulated smoke is not harmful to but may cause some coughing, they said.

For more information about the sanitary sewer smoke testing, contact Public Works Operations Manager Ty Brown at 360-683-4908 or sewersmoketest@sequimwa.gov.