It is a real epidemic and a danger to people including children, dogs and cats, automobiles, motorcycles, and trucks. It is happening in cities, towns, and boroughs. It is robbing us of tax dollars we do not have to spend. Philadelphia has spent $300,000 at last count. Manholes can be thirty feet deep or more. If someone falls into an open manhole they could easily be maimed or even killed. Two young people were injured in recent months when they accidentally fell into an uncovered manhole. If you hit an open manhole with a car, motorcycle, or truck you can end up with a sizable repair bill and a flat tire.
In Philadelphia alone more than 2,500 covers and grates have disappeared in the past year. The average in the past was about 100 a year. Thieves have stripped some neighborhood roads so bad you have to be a defensive driver to avoid the open manholes. Philadelphia Water Department now has an employee acting as an under cover police officer watching the junk yards to see who is selling the manhole covers for scrap metal. They call the police in when they see someone selling metal manhole covers they have stolen.
State houses are working to pass tighter laws to prevent this from happening with new regulations for junkyards. Most junkyards record your diver's license number, vehicle license, and take pictures of the load of scrap you are selling. Thieves are sometimes experts, removing the registered seals on manhole covers and cutting them up so they are not recognizable.
Police tie the crime spree in scrap metal to the weak economy and the high price of all scrap metals. Heavy melt steel, the medium grade used for manhole covers is $519 a metric ton. Thieves can get $5 to $40 depending on size and weight of the manhole covers. It has hit all parts of our country except New York City. Long Beach California is trying to design vinyl or plastic manhole covers. It is happening in Europe too.
Some cities have welded the manhole covers in place, but this creates another problem. Manholes are there so workmen can get in to repair water lines, electrical systems, sewers lines, etc. This is the reason for manholes. There are new manhole covers that lock in place when they are installed, this seems to be the best answer for now. This takes time and they are expensive. Where you have locking manholes you still need Odor Eliminator Inserts with Inflow protectors and SWEETFILTER lV are manufactured to fit with lockable manhole covers. The largest city in the Midwest is our first sale to be installed.
Dick Pennington Visit my website http://www.DickPennington.com Email or call me for more information! DickPennington@comcast.netM 1-484-624-4909 Pennington Equipment Company Life Customer Service Toll Free: 1-888-261-4726 VoiceFax: 1-866-422-0018