Wastewater, also referred to as sewer water, is the water you flush down your toilet and the water that goes down your drain. Our wastewater system includes over 410 miles of wastewater lines, 607 low pressure pumps and 35 lift stations. This system is designed to collect and transport the wastewater to one of two wastewater treatment plants. At the treatment plants, the wastewater is treated twenty-four hours each and every day, so that pollutants are removed for safe discharge into receiving waters – meeting all state and federal parameters.
Protecting Pipes & the Environment
What you dump down the drain or flush down a toilet impacts the reliability of our wastewater removal services and could impact our area waterways (streams). Fats, oils or grease should never be dumped into a drain. Grease cools as it travels through pipes. Over time, the accumulation can block pipes and contribute to clogs. Flushing anything other than the 3 P's (pee, poo and toilet paper) can also cause a failure in the system. Unlike toilet paper, which breaks down quickly in water, wet wipes remain intact and tangle into massive clogs that jam pumps and block pipes. Even those labeled "flushable" should not be flushed. In severe cases, clogs can cause wastewater back-ups in your home or sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) into the street.
What Not to Flush
- Fats, oil and grease
- Wet wipes
- Anything made of plastic
- Aquarium gravel or cat litter
- Baby wipes and diapers
- Cigarette butts
- Disposable toilet brushes
- Medications
- Paper towels, rags, and disposable dust towels
- Tampons and sanitary napkins
- Condoms
