Cannington residents may be seeing smoke as Durham Region conducts tests on the sanitary sewer system in the coming weeks.

Smoke testing in Cannington will run from Oct. 23 and Nov. 3, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., during which time residents can expect to see white vapour being blown into sewer maintenance holes and pipes. Crews will then monitor where the smoke exits the system.

According to the Region, the smoke is expected to exit primarily out of maintenance hole covers on the street and the sewer plumbing stack at the top of each house. The smoke used in the test is non-toxic, has no odour, and will disperse after a few minutes.

The purpose of the testing is to identify areas where storm sewers and sanitary sewers are connected via roof leaders, foundation drains, yard drains and/or catch basins. This information will help the Region evaluate the sources of surface water inflow and where possible, identify possible repairs within the sewer system.

For more information about Durham Region’s sanitary sewer system, visit durham.ca/works.