posted by Mike Madison at 11:38 PM /
Take a look at this announcement on Mt. Lebanon's municipal website:
Here's the link. There is also a map of the areas in town that will be treated.
The other day, Joe and I got an email from a Lebo resident who argues that these treatments actually create a risk of exposure to humans and animals, because the pesticides aren't actually applied as carefully as all that. The stuff spills. And it allegedly seeps into water lines. Here's a link to some photos that suggest the presence of a problem.
Is this something that the municipality should be concerned about?
Sewers in some areas of the community will be treated for root-related blockages beginning January 24. The designated sewers either have been treated previously or have been identified recently as posing potential problems.
Residents in the immediate areas will be notified by flier.
All products used to treat the sewers are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
A certified pesticide applicator from Municipal Sales, the company that has performed the work for the past four years, and a Mt. Lebanon Public Works inspector are on the site at all times. The foam or herbicide used never comes in contact with anything other than the inside of the sanitary sewer system.
Mt. Lebanon has found that this routine treatment of our aging sewer system significantly reduces the number of blockages and backups. If you have questions, please call Public Works Superintendent Rudy Sukal, 412-343-3504.
Here's the link. There is also a map of the areas in town that will be treated.
The other day, Joe and I got an email from a Lebo resident who argues that these treatments actually create a risk of exposure to humans and animals, because the pesticides aren't actually applied as carefully as all that. The stuff spills. And it allegedly seeps into water lines. Here's a link to some photos that suggest the presence of a problem.
Is this something that the municipality should be concerned about?
9 Comments:
Mike, what's next? Are you going to post stories about Elvis sightings at the Giant Eagle? Or perhaps blurry photos of Bigfoot roaming the golf course?
You'd have a tough time convincing me that those are even pictures of the same manhole cover, let alone that the small amount of liquid shown is a dangerous herbicide (and not water), or that it poses a threat to anyone.
I suppose that since the deer culling has gone off without incident, we need something else to worry about.
Dave,
If Elvis has been living in Pittsburgh, then the whole population loss/brain drain/we're 10 years behind the rest of the country "thing" has been worth it, no?
Mike
It is obviously the same manhole cover.
Yes, if you click and view the large images, it's obviously the same manhole cover.
Nevertheless, the linked page is hardly a paragon of credibility. What I see is a a single, anonymous, vaguely hysterical sounding web page containing a picture of a wet manhole cover, some nebulous verbiage about "unquantified" rumours and allegations, and a link to some JPEG scans of PA legislation. There are no convincing references or other evidence that there is any serious harm here.
If they want to be taken seriously, the authors of the web page should identify themselves, and make some clear statement of exactly what the problem is.
Simply throwing around the word "toxic" should not frighten reasonable people. Many everyday things are toxic in sufficient quantity. Water, salt, vitamins--we're beset by toxins. Herbicides are toxic by definition to the plants they're designed to kill. There is no a priori reason to assume that they're toxic to humans at the levels used. What chemicals were used? What were the concentrations? Is the small amount that was spilled actually enough to harm anyone? Are we sure that the spill is even herbicide and not, say, water that was used to flush the herbicide down the sewer?
The site seems to be more fear-mongering than anything that I would take seriously in its current state.
Rumors that it's all a load of BS are unquantified.
I've argued with the Municipality many times over the years of the need to at least inform residents that pesticides are being put down their sewers. Hopefully with the recent heavy rains no one has experienced sanitary sewer backups from treated lines into their houses. If they have, wouldn't the backup contain the recently-applied herbicides as well as raw sewage?
In 2005 and 2006 the fliers didn't even bother to notify Mt. Lebanon residents that herbicides were being foamed under pressure into their sewer line and lateral connection -- Duke's website explained that "it is common for the foam to travel up the house line ten to fifteen feet during a normal main-line treatment." While the Mt. Lebanon website says that Municipal Sales is the company that has performed the work for the past four years, it's simply not true. Duke's Root Control performed the work last year, as well as the six years before that (all the way back to the 2000 pilot program).
Could someone post what the flyer says for the current round of applications?
This is the entire text of the 2005 flier:
- - - - - -
ATTENTION RESIDENT
The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon has hired a contractor, Duke's Root Control, to perform root control work on the municipal sewers that service the neighborhood.
Work will be performed from 8:00AM-3:30PM on November 2nd through November 4th. If you have a manhole on your property, please keep the area clear and your pets contained. The total time spent at each location should not exceed 30 minutes.
If you have any questions, please call the Municipal Engineer at 412-921-4030 Ext 153 or Public Works at 412-343-3504.
Thank you for your cooperation.
- - - - - -
And the 2006 flier placed in my screen door jamb said:
-----------
ATTENTION RESIDENT
The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon has hired a contractor, Duke's Root Control, to perform root control work on the municipal sewers that service the neighborhood.
Work will be performed from 8:00AM-3:30PM on December 4th through December 13th. If you have a manhole on your property, please keep the area clear and your pets contained. The total time spent at each location should not exceed 30 minutes.
If you have any questions, please call the Municipal Engineer at 412-921-4030 Ext 153 or Public Works at 412-343-3504.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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The words "the company that has performed the work for the past four years" now have been removed from the Mt. Lebanon website. Does anyone know why the former company was not re-hired? Was the pesticide(s) identified in the notifying flier?
There's no way it can get in water lines. They are under pressure. Also, water lines are typically placed above sewers.
Also, if it were getting into drinking water, wouldn't that mean that raw sewage is getting in, too? Is anyone seriously asserting that raw sewage is contaminating Lebo drinking water?
I've just learned that my sewer line is seriously clogged/rooted up closer to the manhole cover in front of my house. Discussions now center around a "big dig" on my nickel. Send over the dangerous foam truck . . . whatever it takes!
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