Sewer Utility

About the Sewer

The Sewer Utility is charged with the responsibility to protect the public health and to ensure minimal impact upon the aquatic environment by adequate collection and treatment of wastewater from properties within the City of Columbia corporate limits and areas outside the City that can be feasibly connected to the City’s system. This is achieved by engineering review of proposed and existing facilities and thorough effective and economical operation and maintenance of collection and treatment systems.

The Columbia Sewer Utility is divided into three divisions:  Engineering, Sewer Collection System Maintenance, and the Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Now hiring: Click here to learn about employment opportunitiesopens PDF file .

Engineering

Engineering is responsible for the design and construction of community-approved infrastructure projects in the Capital Improvements Program (CIP). This includes survey, design, right-of-way acquisition, contracting and construction inspection.

In addition, the engineering division is responsible for implementing two residential cost reimbursement programs. These programs assist homeowners with expenses associated with repairing or removing defects or eliminating direct connections of improper inflow and infiltration sources from the sanitary sewer.

Engineering staff is also responsible for performing plan review and inspection of sewer infrastructure constructed as part of private development to ensure new construction meets current Federal, State and City requirements. Engineering staff also maintains the various sewer asset maps, design guidelines and specifications for use by consultants and developers.

Sewer Capital Improvement Projects go through a thorough Public Involvement Process and are prioritized as part of the City’s annual budget process. Projects are designed to the highest safety and performance standards possible while paying close attention to citizen input as well as environmental and economic concerns.

Capital improvement plan projects

Current Requests for public input

  • No projects at this time

Additional resources

 

Sewer collection system maintenance

The aggressive preventive maintenance program ensures that sewer mains remain in proper working order and prevent many problems before they occur.  In addition, cleaning crews respond to stoppage complaints. 

Cleaning crews

The Sewer Utility operates three sewer cleaning crews.  Each crew is assigned to clean the sewers in a different cleaning area.  Each crew cleans the sewers in one sub-area before moving on to the next sub-area.  When the sewers in the last sub-area have been cleaned, the process starts over in the first sub-area. 

It is important for sewer crews to have access to these cleanout locations which can sometimes be in a residential yard.  Difficulty accessing these points can slow down the crew and reduce the efficiency of the cleaning cycles.

Cleaning sewer lines involves using a sewer jet to propel a cleaning nozzle that is attached to the end of a high-pressure sewer jet hose through all the main underground pipes. This clears the lines of debris such as grease and grit.  If necessary, the lines are also cleared of roots by attaching a hydraulic root saw to the end of the sewer jet hose. This sewer cleaning process also causes air movement through the sewer. If your home’s ventilation pipes are clogged or are not large enough, this air movement through the sewer could force some water out of your toilet or drains. It is recommended that you keep your toilet lid down when the sewers are being cleaned.

Stoppage crews

The Sewer Utility provides 24/7 service in response to reports of sewer backups and overflows. Upon being notified of a problem, a two-person crew with a hydraulic sewer jet cleaner is dispatched to the location. Generally, the crew will contact the complainant to determine the nature and extent of the problem. The crew then inspects and cleans any sewer 6 inches in diameter or larger which could remedy the issue. Any obstruction determined to be in a public sewer is followed up with an internal TV inspection of the sewer line. In most cases, after a complete review of the incident, the location and the cause of the obstruction can be determined. If the problem is in the customer’s private line, they will be advised to contact a plumber or sewer service company.

Closed circuit television inspection

The Sewer Utility uses a state-of-the-art closed-circuit television system to internally inspect sewer mains and service line connections. This system consists of a color camera with a pan and tilt head which can turn 90 degrees in any direction and is self-propelled through sewer lines transmitting a picture to a monitor and video recorder located inside a van. Using this system, problems can be located and identified quickly, without excavation, so that proper corrective actions can be taken.

Repair crews

The repair crew is responsible for repairs to sewer structures and sewer mains. Excavations have been up to 22 feet deep. This crew repairs sewer mains that have been determined to be in poor condition by TV inspection that was done following a stoppage or because of a problem suspected during routine cleaning.

Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is responsible for adequate treatment of wastewater and wastewater biosolids (sludge) by complying with Federal and State standards imposed for effluent discharged to the environment.

Now hiring: Click here to learn about employment opportunitiesopens PDF file .

The Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant operates on a 24-hour per day basis year round and is divided into sections: Operations, Sewer Sludge and Grounds Maintenance,  Maintenance, and the Laboratory.

  • Operations is responsible for adequate treatment of wastewater and wastewater biosolids (sludge) and is responsible for the operation of the constructed wetlands and the effluent pumping station located adjacent to the MDC Eagle Bluffs Wildlife Area and the wastewater treatment and spray irrigation system at the Columbia Regional Airport.
  • Sewer Sludge & Grounds Maintenance  A Sludge Management Program is responsible for the disposal of anaerobically digested biosolids by land application, and for annual reporting to MDNR, as well as grounds maintenance at the WWTP and field facilities.  
  • Maintenance performs breakdown and preventive maintenance on plant equipment and all field facilities, makes modifications and new installations as needed, and is responsible for care of buildings.  It also provides routine operation of more than 25 wastewater pumping stations in the Columbia area.
  • Laboratory performs process control testing, MDNR monitoring and compliance reporting for the WWTP and field sampling for the Sludge Management and Pretreatment Programs.

Additional resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my home or property connected to the City’s sanitary sewers? 

If you feel there is a question of whether your home or business is connected to the sewer system, please call the Contact Center at 573.874.2489opens phone dialer.

I need to know where the City’s sanitary sewers are. 

If you need to know where the sanitary sewers are because excavation work is being planned call 1-800-344-7483 (DIG-RITE). If you need to know the location of sanitary sewers for any other reason call the Contact Center at 573.874.2489opens phone dialer.

Who do I call if I have a sewer backup? 

During business hours, call the City of Columbia Contact Center at 573.874.2489opens phone dialer.  For after hour emergencies, call 573.441.5530opens phone dialer. If an Operator is not inside the building, a telephone recorder will record any messages and it is checked every 30 minutes. The Operator will return your call and then dispatch the Sewer Maintenance personnel.

Is there a charge if I call the Sewer Utility about a sewer backup and it is determined that there is not a problem with the public sewer? 

There is no charge whether there is a problem found with the public sewer or not.

Who do I call about odor problems? 

If the odor is outside your home, contact the Contact Center at 573.874.2489opens phone dialer and a Sewer Maintenance crew will be dispatched to determine the source of odor. If the odor is inside your house, contact the Building and Site Development Division at 573.874.7474.  A frequent cause for inside odors is a dry trap. Pouring a quart of water into all sinks, showers/tubs and floor drains may correct this problem. If it is felt that the odor may be of an explosive nature, the Fire Department should be called immediately at 9-1-1.

My stool just blew up! What happened?

Water being splashed out of the toilet may occur when maintenance or cleaning crews are working in your area. The sewer cleaning process causes air movement through the sewer.  If your home’s ventilation pipes are clogged or are not large enough, this air movement through the sewer could force some water out of your toilet or drains. It is recommended that you keep your toilet lid down when the sewers are being cleaned. Call the Contact Center at 573.874.2489opens phone dialer to determine if your problem occurred when the sewer main was being cleaned.

Why are there flags in my yard?

It is generally because there is excavation work being planned in the area and the person, company or utility planning the work has requested “locates.” The flags mark the location of buried utility lines. Before the Sewer Utility would do any major excavation work (backhoe type work) on your property, you would be contacted unless an emergency situation exists.

Why did you put that manhole in my yard?

When manholes are built, the tops of the manholes are left accessible. Later when homes and businesses are built, manholes are occasionally buried in yards and driveways. The Sewer Maintenance Cleaning Crew usually uncovers these “lost” manholes when they clean the sewers. The buried manholes are then turned over to the Repair Crew which adjust the manholes to grade so they are accessible again.  As long as the manholes can be adjusted using the 16 inches of allowable adjustment between the concrete manhole cone and metal frame, there is no charge for this work. If the manhole cone has to be removed (backhoe work) to properly adjust the manhole the cost is usually charged to the owner of the property where the manhole was buried. If you have any question about raising, or lowering, a manhole call the Contact Center at 573.874.2489opens phone dialer.

What can I dump down the sewers or my drains?

Not much! For specific inquiries, call the Contact Center at 573.874.2489opens phone dialer.