Water Distribution & Collections

Formerly called Utility Maintenance, the Distribution & Collections Division, is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the City’s potable water distribution system and sanitary sewer collection system and is charged with ensuring compliance with numerous stringent state regulations associated with those systems.

Typical tasks within this division include the administration of the City’s backflow prevention, water and sewer line repair and maintenance, the installation of water and sewer taps, responding to and cleanup of sewer spills, water valve installation and replacement, water meter installation, repair and maintenance, fire hydrant maintenance and the procurement and warehousing of parts and equipment for other divisions within the public works department.

These employees are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to emergencies.

Grease Trap Program

The City’s Sewer Use Ordinance contains information on the guidelines for what is allowed to be discharged into the City’s sewer system. Part of the Sewer Use Ordinance, the Grease Trap Program addresses the problems created by grease in the sewer collection system. The purpose of the Grease Trap Sanitary Manhole Overflow Program is to aid in the prevention of sanitary sewer overflows and blockages from the accumulation of fats, oils, and greases in to the sewer collection system from non-domestic establishments, particularly in food preparation and food serving facilities.

Approximately 50% to 80% of all sanitary sewer overflows are caused by accumulation of fats, oils, and greases discharged from food preparation and service establishments. For additional information on this program, call the Building Inspections Department at 580-4346 if you have questions on grease trap installation, or the Pretreatment Coordinator at 735-3329, ext.103, if you have questions on grease trap reports or maintenance of existing grease traps.

Each year the City prepares a report, the Sewer Performance Annual Report, on its Water Reclamation Facility and its sewer collection system. The report indicates if there were any problems or violations during the past year, such as grease blockages that caused a sanitary sewer manhole to overflow. Additional information regarding the City’s wastewater treatment may be addressed under the Frequently Asked Questions.

Grease-clogged pipe: residential customers can help prevent grease accumulation in the sanitary sewer system by properly disposing of cooking oil and grease. Cooking oil and grease can be collected in containers with sealed lids and disposed of in the solid waste garbage. Food scraps can be disposed of as solid waste.