Residents of St. Pierre-Jolys are being advised to close the lids to their toilet bowls and insert plugs into their sinks and bathtubs in case of a sewage backup.

Technically speaking, Chief Administrative Officer Tina Bubenzer says any kind of backlog is highly unlikely. Occasionally, while cleaning sewers, the air pressure can cause water to splash back out through domestic drains and Bubenzer says she wanted homeowners to be aware of the slim possibility. She notes the main purpose of the work is to scan the drain via closed-circuit television (CCTV) system to identify any problems.

“It is basically a camera that goes through the line to see where we may have areas that are broken, if there are any areas that are full of grease, or whether the pipes are no longer there,” she explains. “It let us know what repairs we have to do.”

The majority of the inspections will be taking place along Jolys Avenue and Highway 59 (called Sabourin Street within the village). The sewer analysis is required of them by the Manitoba Water Services Board, but Bubenzer believes it also offers valuable data.

“It would be very costly if something bad was to happen with our sewer line, especially on Highway 59, because we would have to pay for signage, the highway would be down, and it would cause a big kerfuffle. So we want to be proactive and make sure we fix what is broken and keep our infrastructure in good condition before that happens.”

The other way the village benefits from such a study is that it prepares the region for growth. As Mayor Raymond Maynard and his Council prepare a new Development Plan and associated zoning bylaw it is essential that the local infrastructure can actually sustain the volume of new development they are envisioning.

Bubenzer says this sewer study is a small part of a much larger goal, that of expanding the Village of St. Pierre-Jolys. The study itself and all related work will be wrapping up some time next week. Meanwhile, the Development Plan still demands a bit of attention and will only be finished sometime next year.