Wastewater Collection System

The City’s wastewater collection system service area is approximately 6.5 square miles and services 7,514 connections of which there are 6,336 residential, 1,093 commercial, and 85 restaurant connections.  The collection system contains almost 105 miles of pipeline ranging in diameter from 4 inches to 30 inches, 1,938 manholes, and eight pump stations.  The pipelines are constructed primarily of vitrified clay (VCP), concrete pipe (RCP and CP), orangeburg pipe, and plastic pipe.  Installation of the collection system dates back to the early 1900’s.

Recently, the City completed its latest Sanitary Sewer Collection System Master Plan.  The purpose of the plan is to address the following four major areas:

(1)   Evaluate the capacity of the existing collection system during peak wet weather flows.

(2)   Evaluate the capacity of the collection system and determine improvement needs

(3)   Develop a capital improvement program that will provide the city with a reliable and economic sanitary sewer collection system in the future

(4)   Provide assistance in developing future program needs.

Much of the City’s collection system is very old. We are continually battling structural problems, inflow & infiltration (I&I), roots, and grease. The City continues to take a proactive approach in both maintaining and inspecting our system. We have a variety of resources and tools for this purpose. Some of the major equipment used is, CCTV camera, Jet Rodder, Jet Vac, Mechanical Rodder, Easement machine, Backhoe, Dump Truck, and Utility Trucks. City staff performs many sewer line repairs and replacements annually along with some larger jobs being contracted out.

As part of our ongoing inspection and maintenance program, you will be seeing some changes in the near future.  Some of the major changes will be in reference to root intrusion and grease accumulation in the sewer lines. Roots and grease cause a large number of mainline blockages each year. This leads to public safety concerns, environmental impacts, and customer claims. To help combat this, we will be starting an educational outreach program for both homeowners and businesses.