- About
- 2021.02.17 JEA Announces New Leadership Team
- 2021.03.11 JEA Receives First Place Safety Award from Florida Municipal Electric Association
- 2021.06.15 JEA Names Theodore B. Phillips Chief Financial Officer
- 2021.07.13 JEA Announces New COO and VP of Financial Services
- 2021.08.17 JEA Builds Out Leadership Team with Hiring of Chief External Affairs Officer
- 2021.09.15 JEA Names New Chief Information Officer, VP of Technical Services
- 2021.09.30 Ricky Erixton, JEA Vice President of Electric Systems, Named to SERC Reliability Board of Directors
- 2021.09.30 Ricardo “Rick” Morales III Appointed to JEA Board of Directors
- 2021.11.03 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Programs that Build Community
- 2022.01.06 JEA Names its First Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- 2022.01.07 JEA Reducing Carbon Emissions with Closure of Plant Scherer Coal-fired Unit
- 2022.01.17 Statement on Holiday Road Sewer Overflow
- 2022.01.27 JEA Names Mark Stultz Vice President, Communications
- 2022.02.11 JEA Honored as Outstanding Utility by Florida Urban Forestry Council
- 2022.04.08 Steven Selders Promoted to JEA Vice President, Application Delivery and Enterprise Architecture
- 2022.04.26 JEA Managing Director & CEO Jay Stowe, Appointed to Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council
- 2022.06.01 JEA Partnering with Customers to be Ready for 2022 Hurricane Season
- 2022.06.08 JEA Announces Next Generation of Customer Experience Delivery
- 2022.06.13 JEA Presents Environmental Stewardship Award to Evoqua Water Technologies
- 2022.07.26 JEA to Suspend Electric, Water Disconnections During Peak of Summer Heat
- 2022.08.27 Precautionary Boil Water Advisory Remains in Effect for Sandalwood Area as JEA Continues Testing
- 2022.08.28 JEA Lifts Boil Water Advisory for Sandalwood Area
- 2022.09.26 JEA Prepares for Hurricane Ian, Response Procedures in Place
- 2022.09.27 JEA Prepared to Respond to Hurricane Ian Impacts
- 2022.09.28 JEA Welcomes Mutual Aid Response to Hurricane Ian
- 2022.09.29 JEA Crews Restoring Power Throughout Jacksonville
- 2022.10.03 JEA Names Pedro Melendez Vice President, Planning, Engineering & Construction
- 2022.10.20 JEA Honors Local Agency Partners for Their Work in the Community
- 2022.11.04 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Community Work in Northeast Florida
- 2022.11.08 JEA Prepares for Subtropical Storm Nicole
- 2022.11.11 All Storm Restorations Continue Today; JEA to Lift Limited Emergency Operations
- 2022.12.12 JEA Women's, Men's Teams Win Top Honors at Statewide Water Competition
- 2022.12.20 JEA Offers Tips in Advance of Severe Cold Weather
- 2022.12.24 JEA Offers Tips During Severe Cold Weather
- 2023.01.10 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Mutual Aid Work
- 2023.03.06 JEA Receives Statewide Recognition for Safety
- 2023.03.07 New JEA HQ Customer Center to Open April 10
- 2023.04.06 JEA Lineworkers Earn Top Honors at International Lineman’s Rodeo
- 2023.04.25 Community Invited to May 25 Public Forum on Northeast Florida’s Energy Future
- 2023.05.01 JEA Receives Recognition for Commitment to Urban Tree Management
- 2023.05.18 JEA's Long-Range Clean Energy Plan Available to Public
- 2023.05.26 JEA Ready for 2023 Hurricane Season, Offers Tips to Help Customers Prepare
- 2023.06.05 Helen Materazzi Named JEA Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness
- 2023.06.14 JEA Upgrading Water Meters for All Customers
- 2023.06.15 JEA Crews Heading to Tallahassee to Assist with Storm Restoration
- 2023.06.26 JEA Presents Environmental Stewardship Award to 29 Local Companies
- 2023.07.14 JEA Launches Fleet Vehicle Electrification Program
- 2023.08.22 JEA Issues Precautionary Boil Water Advisory for South Philips Highway and Nocatee Area, Encourages All Customers to Conserve
- 2023.08.22 Chief Human Resources Officer, VyStar Credit Union
- 2023.08.23 Precautionary Boil Water Advisory Remains in Effect for South Philips Highway, Nocatee Area, JEA Continues to Encourage All Customers to Conserve
- 2023.08.24 JEA Lifts Precautionary Boil Water Advisory for South Philips Highway, Nocatee Area
- 2023.08.28 JEA Prepares for Tropical Storm Idalia Encourages Customers to Be Ready
- 2023.08.30 JEA Responding to Customers Due to Hurricane Idalia
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- Sanitary Sewer Smoke Testing
Sanitary Sewer Smoke Testing
Smoke testing is a common test used in the utility industry to determine if there are leaks and/or cracks in underground wastewater lines. We conduct smoke testing in order to provide you with the best possible safe, efficient and environmentally sound wastewater services. Smoke testing has been recommended by the EPA as a great way to identify problems in the wastewater system. If you have any specific questions or concerns regarding smoke testing in your neighborhood, please contact JEA Project Outreach.
A JEA employee will use a machine to force smoke into a sewer line through a manhole in your neighborhood. If there’s an underground break in the line, the smoke will rise out of that break – through the ground – as seen in this illustration.
How Smoke Testing Works
Prior to testing, please pour two gallons of water in seldom-used sinks or floor drains to prevent smoke from entering your home or business. The smoke will only enter your home or business if you have defective plumbing, dried-up sink traps or floor drains, and should only affect your home for approximately 15 minutes. Smoke should not come into your house through your sprinkler system either.
It is odorless and 100 percent safe, but may cause minor irritation to some people. If you are away during the test, it will not hurt any pets or household plants. The smoke does not leave behind a residue, stain upholstery or become a fire hazard.
If Smoke Enters Your Home or Business
Please step outside and talk to the crew members at work on the testing. They can answer a lot of your questions and concerns. You can also call JEA Project Outreach at (904) 665-7500.
The smoke is an indication of a plumbing defect. If the smoke is on public property, JEA will fix it. But if the smoke is inside your home that means it’s on private property and is the property owner’s responsibility. It also means there is a plumbing problem and you will likely need to call a plumber. The smoke should disappear quickly; you can also open a window or outside door near the smoky area to let it air out faster.
If you are outside and see smoke coming from a vent stack on a house, don’t worry. The house is not on fire. This is normal. However, smoke coming from holes in the ground is not normal and is considered a defect. JEA will photograph and log all defects like this. We will also contact property owners if a defect is found on private property.
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Wastewater
JEA's sewer collection system handles more than 70 million gallons of wastewater every day. Our waste collection and treatment system consists of more than 3,700 miles of collection lines, over 1,200 pumping stations and fourteen sewer treatment plants.
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Sanitary Sewer Overflows
A Sanitary Sewer Overflow is when sewage (or wastewater) overflows from the sewer collection system and can happen for a number of reasons.