DEM to Conduct August Smoke Tests in Pāpaʽikou

Where there’s smoke, there’s not always fire—something important for windward residents to remember in the coming days, according to a press release from the Hawai‘i County Department of Environmental Management.

DEM has planned smoke test surveys in the Silverton Camp region of Pāpaʽikou later this month. DEM work crews will conduct tests in the area Aug. 19 to Aug. 23, 2019, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., weather permitting.

Smoke test surveys assist inspectors in identifying connections where rain water, or inflow, and groundwater, or infiltration, may enter the sanitary sewer system.

Note that the smoke used in testing may be seen coming from vent stacks on houses, sewer manholes or holes in the ground. This smoke is non-toxic, non-staining, has no odor, is white to gray in color and poses no fire hazard, the release stated.

The smoke should not enter homes or businesses unless there are connections to the old sewer pipe in the area. Homeowners are advised to pour a gallon of water into each floor drain prior to testing.

Traffic delays within the area may occur.