Why is off-key recorder music coming from the manholes in Gig Harbor neighborhoods?
The sound of off-key recorder music will play from manholes in Gig Harbor neighborhoods for a few weeks.
At least that’s what the recording of the sound that the city posted on social media sounds like to a Gateway reporter.
“When I hear that, it sounds like tones used in a hearing test,” Public Works director Jeff Langhelm said March 26.
The sound-wave equipment is how crews inspect sanitary sewer lines, according to the city’s Facebook post March 22.
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The post said crews started March 25 and will work until April 26. First up is the area west of state Route 16 from North Creek to 46th Avenue. Then they’ll move on to Peacock Hill Avenue and 100th Street Court.
Langhelm said the city rents the technology for about $5,000 to check sewer lines for a couple weeks each year. They focus on flat areas, where sediment tends to build up.
One crew member puts a speaker in a manhole and another puts a microphone in the next manhole downstream. They record the brief noise, download the data, and a computer shows them which sections of pipe are full of sediment that needs to be cleared.
They’ve used the sound equipment for three or four years, Langhelm said. The alternative is using a camera, he said, which moves slowly and can get stuck. The sound equipment takes about a tenth of the time, he said, though there might still be circumstances that warrant using a camera.
“Just because of our detailed asset management system and our GIS system, they work hand in hand to make this task easy and seamless,” Langhelm said.
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This story was originally published March 26, 2024 at 11:52 AM.
