The Health Department has received numerous calls over the years about sewers
backing up in homes and businesses. This letter is meant to be a guideline to
citizens about the role they play in preventing this occurrence. Raw sewage is a
source of illness and disease, and if not properly contained and treated sewage
is a serious public health threat.
Sewage is the used water and wastes discharged by a community. Sewage is
collected from the drains of sinks, showers, toilets, laundry facilities, etc.
Sewage comes from the drains in homes and businesses, into the sewer lines (or
"collection system"), and is then transported to a sewage treatment facility.
Sewer back ups are caused when the sewage collection lines get clogged. These
clogs are often caused by fats or greases , paper, feminine sanitary pads or
tampons, disposable diapers, cloth, wood, or any other materials that get caught
in the line and plug it up.
Sewage back ups are very costly, messy, stinky, and pose a serious threat to the
health and safety of people and animals. Infectious diseases can be transmitted
from raw sewage resulting in serious illnesses or even death.
Only feces, urine, and toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet. Other
drains should only be used to dispose of used water and soaps from washing or
cleaning activities.
You cannot flush anything down the drain that could clog the sewer collection
system or anything that could damage the sewage treatment facility. This
includes:
- 1) Flammable or explosive liquids, solids, or gases.
- 2) Fats, oils or greases.
- 3) Big chunks of garbage, sand, metals, wood, straw or grass, wastepaper,
plastics, animal parts, glass, cat litter (including so called "flushable" cat
letter), disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, tampons (including tampon
applicators), other bulky so called "disposable" products, or similar
substances.
- 4) Corrosive substances that are either acidic or caustic.
- 5) Any substance that is toxic to the treatment facilities or workers in the
facilities.
- 6) Dye wastes or tanning solutions.
- 7) Anything radioactive.
- 8) Septic tank pumpings, or materials from pit privies or cesspools.
The above types of materials can cause clogs in the sewer lines or damage to the
collection system or treatment facility. They may also pose safety threats to
citizens and sewage plant workers. Some of the prohibited substances are not
readily removed in the sewage treatment process, and therefore pose a threat to
water quality when discharged with the facilities effluent. ("Effluent" means
the treated water from a sewage treatment facility that is discharged into a
stream, river, or groundwater.)
A sewage treatment facility is usually publicly owned, which means we all pay
for the associated costs. Proper sewage treatment is vital in protecting
everyone from water borne diseases and protecting the environment from
pollution. This important job is not cheap! We all pay for it! By following the
above guidelines we all contribute to protecting our community's investment and
keeping costs as low as possible. Clogs in city sewer lines from grease or other
materials cost money to be cleared out. This cost is passed on to everyone in
the form of higher taxes and/or higher user fees.
Violations of the municipal code concerning prohibited materials in the sewage
collection system could lead to prosecution and conviction of a misdemeanor.
We hope this guideline helps everyone prevent sewage backups! Please feel free to
call our office if you have any further questions or concerns at 582-3120.
Protect your health and our environment…only flush acceptable substances down
the drain! Reprinted With Permission From Gallatin City-County Health Department