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1. What is Sanitary Sewer Line Cleaning?

Spotsylvania County Utilities (SCU) Maintenance Crews perform preventive maintenance cleaning of the county-owned sanitary sewer mains. The work is done to prevent mainline stoppages and potential backups.

How Cleaning Is Done

Cleaning is accomplished using a high-pressure water jet to remove buildup within the sewer lines. This cleaning creates a vacuum in the sewer system, and in rare occurrences, can pull water out of your toilet(s) if you do not have a backflow device installed on your sewer line. After the vacuum is released, the water rushes back into your toilet(s), and on rare occasions, may splash out of the toilet bowl.

Closing the Lid

Closing your toilet lid/lids during this process will greatly reduce the possibility of any negative issues. Therefore, we ask that you make sure that your toilet lid(s) remain down, with a towel draped over the toilet lid(s) as an added precaution, during the time that we are in your area cleaning.

2. When will sanitary sewer line cleaning crews be in my area?

Message boards will be set-up one to two days in advance in the area(s) where sanitary sewer line cleaning is taking place. You can also view the Utilities News (LINK) for more details. Generally, scheduled sanitary sewer line cleaning takes place Monday - Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. with the exception of holidays.

3. How do I prepare for the sanitary sewer line cleaning in my area?

Closing the Lid

Closing your toilet lid(s) during this process will greatly reduce the possibility of any negative issues. We ask that you make sure that your toilet lid(s) remain down, with a towel draped over the toilet lid(s) as an added precaution, during the time that we are cleaning in your area.  

4. What if I experience a problem during the sanitary sewer line cleaning?

If you experience any issues when sanitary sewer line cleaning is taking place in your area, please contact the Maintenance Crew working in the area and they will gladly assist you. If you are unable to locate the Maintenance Crew, please call the Spotsylvania County Utilities Office at 540-507-7300, option 2. The Spotsylvania County Utilities Department wants you to know that we are doing our best to serve you, the community and the environment every day and regret any inconveniences to our customers; however, this maintenance is necessary to enhance service reliability.