BC 1 Call is marking September 16-20 as Sewer Safety Awareness Week.
The move is to raise awareness among British Columbians about the potential hazards of clearing a blocked sewer without first calling BC 1 Call.
Over the last four years, 47% of gas line damage incidents related to work done on sewer infrastructure occurred due to failure to contact BC 1 Call, and 85% of such incidents were due to the failure to follow safe digging practices. These percentages include a number of sewer cross bore cases.
If a sewer blockage occurs within the home, the homeowner or a licensed plumber can handle it safely.
However, if the obstruction is located outside the home's foundation, there is a potential risk that a gas line cross bore exists in the sewer main (watch this video from FortisBC).
Fortunately, cases of sewer cross bores are now uncommon and can remain undetected and coexist safely until a sewer blockage necessitates clearing. If a sewer needs to be unblocked at the point of the cross bore, it becomes potentially hazardous.
Before undertaking work to unblock a sewer outside their residence, a homeowner should first reduce the risk of hitting a gas line by:
If there is no cross bore, you or your plumber will be given the okay to clear the blockage. If there is a potential sewer cross bore, the gas line will be relocated at no cost to you.