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1. Who owns and operates the Wastewater Treatment Facility and Collection System?

The City of Batavia owns and operates the Treatment Facility and the community’s collection system. At present, the wastewater facility employs 1 secretary, 1 lab technician, 5 certified operators and 1 superintendent. The staff receives continual training to keep current with new technologies and improved operating procedures. The City of Batavia currently has 18 sewage pump stations located throughout the community.

The Wastewater Treatment Staff is responsible for the operation and maintenance of these facilities. The Water/Sewer Department is responsible for the operation and maintenance of approximately 100 miles of underground sanitary sewer piping throughout the community.

2. How can you be sure the Wastewater Treatment Facility is doing its job?

The City of Batavia’s Wastewater Treatment Facility is highly regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. These agencies perform random testing of the facilities effluent. The USEPA, through the IEPA, issues a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. Included in the NPDES Permit are specific guidelines concerning the testing of the facilities effluent.

The City of Batavia performs lab analysis 5 days a week, which is significantly more frequent than the NPDES Permit requires. Our facility averages 2 milligrams per liter BOD and 4 milligrams per liter suspended solids in its effluent or 10% and 20% respectively, of the allowable maximum limits under the city’s NPDES Permit.

3. Why can't I pipe my sump pump into my sanitary drain?

A typical neighborhood wastewater pumping station, which is owned and operated by the City of Batavia, is designed to pump around 150,000 gallons per day. An illegal sump pump (one that is connected to the sanitary system) could be adding up to 40 gallons per minute of flow. A simple calculation (40 gallons per minute x 1440 minutes in a day) tells us that it would only take 3 of these illegally connected sump pumps to use up the entire pump station design capacity.

4. Sewage is backing up in my basement, what should I do?

Do not run any more water or flush a toilet. Call the City of Batavia Water/Sewer Department at 630-0454-2450. They can come out and give you advice as to what the problem might be and how it may be resolved.

5. How can I prevent future sewer backups?

The two most common causes of sewer backups are roots in the sewer line and grease blockages. Know where you sewer line is located. Avoid planting trees and shrubs near the sewer line. Roots can creep into the sewer pipe and over time cause a blockage. If trees or shrubs have caused problems in the past, remove them, once roots have breached your sewer line, there is a good chance that the roots will grow back.

Typically, the best way to clear a blockage is to call a professional sewer cleaning service. They will cut the roots from your sewer pipe. Try to avoid spending money on miracle root killers. Not only are you using a potentially hazardous chemical, but roots typically enter through the top section of the pipe whereas chemicals sit on the bottom and seldom come in contact with the roots.

Stop using the kitchen sink and garbage disposal for grease or food scraps. Vegetables, meat scraps, butter, cooking oils, and many other foods, deposit grease and solids that can build up in pipes, and eventually, create a blockage in your sewer line. Instead of putting food waste into a garbage disposal, scrape food waste from plates and pans into the garbage. Let melted oils used for cooking; solidify in a container (empty juice cartons or coffee cans work well) on the counter or in the refrigerator before placing them into the garbage.

6. It smells like sewer gas in my basement, what should I do?

The most common cause of sewer gas (hydrogen sulfide) odor in basements is due to improperly maintained floor drains. The floor drains in your basement are designed to trap the hydrogen sulfide gases in the sewer and away from your basement.

To remedy the problem you will need to locate all of the floor drains in your basement. Pour at least 1 quart of water in each floor drain on a weekly basis, if the odors do not go away, given adequate ventilation, call the City of Batavia at 630-454-2450.