Episode 5: Kevin keeps sewage moving

Note: There are a few four-letter words sprinkled throughout these 45 minutes. Instead of “feces,” we, umm, say, y’know. That S-word. Skip this podcast if that bothers you. 

As we all sit through this COVID-19 crisis, packed under "stay at home” orders in most states, it’s a good time to remember, yes, the toilet paper you’re having trouble finding, but also that wonderful sewage system that keeps your shelter nice and safe.  

As far as I’m concerned, keeping the system working is one of the most important jobs around. A quote attributed to Gandhi agrees: “Sanitation is more important than independence.” Armies can dig trenches for poop and move on. Thinly populated farms can use outhouses. But without a place for urine and feces to go, we can’t be packed like sardines into modern urban and suburban environments.  

Electro mechanic assistant Kevin works on sewer lift stations. He helps make sure they keep running. As you’ll learn in the podcast, most water and sewage moving around a city uses gravity as much as possible (most everything with liquid is pitched at very small angles to keep it moving, he says), but when stuff collects lower than where it needs to go, Kevin’s motors push it on through to its next destination. 

“It’s like a rollercoaster,” he says. “My sewer lift station is the thing that lifts you up to the top of the hill so you can ‘gravity’ back down to wherever you’re going.” 

Kevin also explains a bit how he got into this gig (no, he didn’t pick poop on purpose), what he wants you never to flush in the toilet, what smells the worst down there ("Poop’s not even close,” he says. “And it’s oily. It sticks.”) and what’s the creepiest living thing he’s seen running around. 

“This job is stable,” he says. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna’ stop pooping in the near future.” 

Warning, all the best stories are in the last 20 minutes or so. Don’t skip! 

Want to know more? 

• The Environmental Protection Agency has an eight-pager on sewer lift stations. Nerd out. 
• Early on, Kevin talks about folks who keep the pipes clean, using rodders and jetters (links go to Youtube videos about those devices, but not the exact devices Kevin’s colleagues use). 
• In addition to Kevin’s No. 1 choice for stuff not to flush, don’t dump F.O.G. Here’s one utility’s FAQ.
• Kevin schools me on motors and engines; he’s mostly right. Brush up on your terminology with a layperson-friendly explanation from MIT. 
• Kiewit’s fleet of Caterpillar equipment is mentioned. Kiewit builds stuff. Like everything.
• The insect Kevin says he hates the most is a house cricket. We don’t think that’s it. We think he means a big one of these.
• Hyperion is big, and Kevin’s never been there. But this website story calls it the “Disneyland of Poop.” 

CAPTION: "Abercynon" by gwallter is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0