Trends Summer 2014 | Page 5

Down Under: What’s it really like inside a sewer manhole? yres Associates civil engineers Chris Pletcher and Sam Lowe like to call what’s inside a sewer manhole “organic stuff” – which they figure is a lot better than calling it what it really is. But just because they may use a euphemism to describe human waste doesn’t mean they find the job of going inside manholes unwelcome. In fact, they truly enjoy the work. A there is nothing combustible. “If there is no hazard, then all we are dealing with is an offensive odor,” Pletcher said. “I like the problem-solving aspect of it,” Lowe said, describing the job of sewer flow monitoring. “We’re trying to solve the mystery of where rain is getting into the system, and we’re looking for clues.” “Stagnant water is the worst,” Pletcher added. “Otherwise, it kind of smells like coffee and cocoa.” He said it doesn’t tend to stink except in the case of a pipe with a lot of silt and muck. “When you disturb the silt, it stinks.” For Ayres’ crew, safety is put first when working inside the manholes. The group requires three people present for each confined space entry: an attendant, an entrant, and a supervisor. The attendant is always watching the entrant, or person “in the hole.” The job requires specialized training for confined space entry and first aid/CPR. However, dealing with the smell may be an acquired taste. “We’ve had first-timers who overthink the process, and that can gag you,” Pletcher said. “We make sure safety of our staff is paramount,” Pletcher said. The group uses an air monitor for checking the atmosphere inside the manhole for safe levels of hydrogen sulfide, oxygen, and carbon monoxide, and making sure But not that offensive, Lowe said. “In my opinion it’s a somewhat sweet, moderate odor, but not necessarily rank most of the time,” he said. “That’s because it’s moving water, not stagnant.” On a frigid day or a sweltering summer day, being in a manhole isn’t so bad, Lowe said. “It’s climate-controlled because it’s underground – it’s always 50 to 60 degrees. I recall a day in Cheyenne it was bitterly cold out, but in the manhole it was pleasant.” — Tawny Quast TRENDS │5