Discovery Channel’s “Sewer Divers” might just showcase the dirtiest job of all.
The series, premiering Jan. 1 at 9 p.m., explores various centuries-old sewer systems throughout the country — and the brave staff who do the essential tasks that the majority people don’t need to take into consideration, including Don Gann, 35, aka “Dirty Water Don,” who’s featured within the opening episode.
“I’ve had quite just a few [close calls] through the years,” Gann told The Post. “I’ve been pinned, I’ve had things fall on top of me where I couldn’t get out alone [and] one other diver needed to are available in to get me. I’ve been buried digging a hole for an underwater cable. The opening collapsed on top of me, so each time you took a breath, the mud constricts you more. You’ve to regulate your respiration, remain calm, and place confidence in the fellows you have got [above the manhole].
“Irrespective of how scary the job is, the guy next to you needs to be nearly as good as you.”
Gann, a father of three, is predicated in North Arlington, NJ. He’s a business diver specializing in welding, timber work and sewer repair. He’s journeyed down into manholes and waded within the muck beneath all five boroughs.
“Lots of people think we are able to just swim around like a fish,” he said. “It’s very difficult to maneuver around with the present and you’ll be able to’t see what you’re doing. You depend on your 10 eyes, that are your fingers. So, mainly, all of the dirty and disgusting things that folks don’t need to touch – we now have to the touch those things to know what we’re doing.”
Within the series premiere, Gann wears a $3,000 rubber suit that keeps him protected from toxic chemicals and waste, and a 36-pound helmet.
“When you hook the neck dam — the suit to the helmet — your mobility becomes spare. It’s hard to get it off by yourself,” he said. “Lots of people on this industry won’t last because they’re claustrophobic. The [manhole] is small, the ladders are in disrepair or broken down there. There’s often a current or the world may be very slick so you’ll be able to’t get good footing or move around. You actually depend on your guys up top. There’s quite just a few dangers. Electrical shock, a slew of dive-related sicknesses. You can lose a limb. You can lose your life.”
Gann said that he hopes audiences who tune into “Sewer Divers” get a recent appreciation for what he and his colleagues do on the job day-after-day.
“When someone drives by us within the morning rush and we’re making a delay for traffic patterns, because we’re closing the lanes — and all they see is three guys standing around a hole — we get numerous bad press,” he said.
“They’re like ‘Oh, what are these guys doing, just standing around?’ People drive by and yell at us. We’ve had people drive by and throw trash at us. Meanwhile, under the [surface of the road], you have got a man working to be sure that you’ll be able to go home after work, flush your toilet, and also you don’t need to ask, ‘Where does it go?’ You depend on the very fact which you can hit a button and walk away from it.”
Discovery Channel’s “Sewer Divers” might just showcase the dirtiest job of all.
The series, premiering Jan. 1 at 9 p.m., explores various centuries-old sewer systems throughout the country — and the brave staff who do the essential tasks that the majority people don’t need to take into consideration, including Don Gann, 35, aka “Dirty Water Don,” who’s featured within the opening episode.
“I’ve had quite just a few [close calls] through the years,” Gann told The Post. “I’ve been pinned, I’ve had things fall on top of me where I couldn’t get out alone [and] one other diver needed to are available in to get me. I’ve been buried digging a hole for an underwater cable. The opening collapsed on top of me, so each time you took a breath, the mud constricts you more. You’ve to regulate your respiration, remain calm, and place confidence in the fellows you have got [above the manhole].
“Irrespective of how scary the job is, the guy next to you needs to be nearly as good as you.”
Gann, a father of three, is predicated in North Arlington, NJ. He’s a business diver specializing in welding, timber work and sewer repair. He’s journeyed down into manholes and waded within the muck beneath all five boroughs.
“Lots of people think we are able to just swim around like a fish,” he said. “It’s very difficult to maneuver around with the present and you’ll be able to’t see what you’re doing. You depend on your 10 eyes, that are your fingers. So, mainly, all of the dirty and disgusting things that folks don’t need to touch – we now have to the touch those things to know what we’re doing.”
Within the series premiere, Gann wears a $3,000 rubber suit that keeps him protected from toxic chemicals and waste, and a 36-pound helmet.
“When you hook the neck dam — the suit to the helmet — your mobility becomes spare. It’s hard to get it off by yourself,” he said. “Lots of people on this industry won’t last because they’re claustrophobic. The [manhole] is small, the ladders are in disrepair or broken down there. There’s often a current or the world may be very slick so you’ll be able to’t get good footing or move around. You actually depend on your guys up top. There’s quite just a few dangers. Electrical shock, a slew of dive-related sicknesses. You can lose a limb. You can lose your life.”
Gann said that he hopes audiences who tune into “Sewer Divers” get a recent appreciation for what he and his colleagues do on the job day-after-day.
“When someone drives by us within the morning rush and we’re making a delay for traffic patterns, because we’re closing the lanes — and all they see is three guys standing around a hole — we get numerous bad press,” he said.
“They’re like ‘Oh, what are these guys doing, just standing around?’ People drive by and yell at us. We’ve had people drive by and throw trash at us. Meanwhile, under the [surface of the road], you have got a man working to be sure that you’ll be able to go home after work, flush your toilet, and also you don’t need to ask, ‘Where does it go?’ You depend on the very fact which you can hit a button and walk away from it.”
