:: City of Watertown, MN :: Departments - Public Works: Taking Care of your Sewer

Taking Care of your Sewer

Sewer Rules

Items commonly found in blocked sewers include:

Grease and oils: (bacon grease, peanut butter, butter, frying oils) these will harden in the drain, stick to the sides of the pipe which will trap items filling the drain.
Paper Products: (baby wipes, diapers, feminine napkins, cigarettes, cotton balls, Q-tips, paper towels and tissues) these do not dissolve in the line-they build up and get caught in the pipe resulting in clogs.
Lint and Hair: These fine materials mat in the line and are common sink clog problems.
Roots: Gardeners often plant over the tops of sewers and the roots in dry years seek water by breaking into clay tile pipes. (Homes in Watertown that still have clay pipes are homes that are 30 years or older) Boulevard trees are notorious for root problems in Watertown.

Other items found in sewers that can cause backups or hazards are the following: condoms, t-shirts, underwear, razors, needles, toys, stir sticks, cement, oil, paint and fuel.
Cat Litter: The sand and gravel can easily block a sewer line.

Remember, anything that goes into the sewer system is flushed with water. That water is now dirty and must be cleaned and the debris removed before it can be returned to the river. You are paying the cost of cleaning the water and also the cost of disposing of the materials that you put down the drain. This is an expensive way of disposing garbage particularly food material. In addition hazardous materials may interfere with the cleaning process and medicines may not be removed in cleaning increasing water pollution. Oil Paint and fuel must never be disposed of through the sewer system. It is a danger to employees when opening man holes because of hazardous vapors. It will also cause interruption in the treatment process at the Wastewater Treatment Facility. It takes weeks for the Wastewater facility to recover from a hazardous material dumping.

Look for signs of potential sewer problems and take action before you have a back-up.

Signs include:

Does your drain run slowly?
Does it gurgle?
Do you have sewer odors?

Review some of your practices at home or your business.

Do you know where your sewer line is located? (from the house to the street) Have you planted trees or bushes over it? (remember even if you have a plastic (PVC) sewer line and you plant something over the line and you need to repair it sometime you may lose your plantings)
Have you had your sewer line cleaned recently?
Do you use your garbage disposal for everything?

If you have a food business or processing business.

Do you have a grease trap? City ordinance says you must have.
Do you clean it regularly?
Do you know where it is?
Do you scrape your dishes?
Do you have screens over the drains?

Take care of your sewer and reduce the risk of it backing up. Follow these simple rules:

Use garbage disposal sparingly. Flush with plenty of water. When possible put food scrapes in the garbage or compost.

Store grease in a container and then dispose of hardened grease in the trash.

Put cat litter, diapers, baby wipes, feminine napkins, cigarettes, cotton balls, Q-tips and tissues in the trash and not in the toilet.

Start a compost pile for coffee grounds grinds, egg shells and food waste except meat, dairy products and bones put these in the trash.

Screen all drains. Use a lint trap on your laundry hose.

Avoid planting trees and bushes over your sewer line.(lateral)

Periodically, have your sewer lined cleaned.

Never put medicines or hazardous material down the drain. You can call Carver County Environmental site in Chaska for disposal.

Here is a rule of thumb do not put anything down the drain or in the toilet that you do cannot eat.

The City does have a Sanitary Sewer Policy that the City Council adopted. This requires City staff to clean city sewers on a routine basis. If some of these hazardous are in the sewer it could put the employees in danger.

The sanitary sewer in your home is an "out of sight, out of mind" until it backs up and then it is a very unpleasant emergency. Blocked sinks, overflowing toilets, flooded basements are all bad news and all expensive problems.

Spills and overflows from sewer backups can cause damage to the environment and pollute our pristine waters.

If you are experiencing a problem you are encourage to call the City of Watertown and we will make sure our main sewer line is clear. If you have any questions or need to report an emergency please call 955-2681.