It might be more helpful to say what NOT to flush: disposable diapers, tampons and tampon applicators, sanitary napkins, mini/maxi pads, facial tissue, dental floss, cotton balls and swabs, cleaning wipes of any kind, bandages and bandage wrappings, automotive fluids, paints, solvents, sealants, thinners, poisons and hazardous waste, pet poop. Unused medicine/prescriptions. Fats, oils, greases. NONE of these things should be flushed or poured down your drains.
Treating sewer water is typically 2-3 times more expensive and more involved than treating drinking water. It takes a great amount of effort by means of mechanical, physical, electrical, and some chemical methods.
There are many projects that commence throughout the year where we may be working side by side, sharing equipment or lending a hand. However, we have our own elected board of trustees, charter set forth by the Maine Legislature, and rate payment structure. So the answer is ultimately no, we are independent!
We regularly maintain the collection system by using high pressure water from our Jet/Vacuum truck. At times, the high volume of pressure will pull water from the plumbing traps located on homeowners’ fixtures, which can result in a sewer smell emanating from your plumbing. If this happens, just run some water to fill the traps.
It’s likely backing up because of a blockage in the lateral line leaving your home or in the district’s main line. Generally the culprits are the users of the sewer system who discard items that impede the gravity flow of the sewer.
Place the grease in a disposable container and throw it away. Cooking grease hardens inside your plumbing and can cause you and the collection system major issues. Think of it as sewer cholesterol!
Gray water is water that does not have any human waste excretions. Washing machines, dishwashers, bathroom sinks, showers, and mop sinks are just a few examples of things that produce gray water.
Biosolids are solids that separate out during the treatment of wastewater which are dewatered via centrifugal force. Dewatering of the biosolids is necessary to remove some of the water for easier transportation. The solids are mostly composed of living and dead microorganisms that have consumed and broken down the harmful bacteria, pollutants and nutrients in the wastewater. Biosolids used for soil amending must undergo comprehensive pathogen/vector reduction in order to comply with Maine DEP and the EPA.
We have been composting our biosolids since October 2016. The active composting period is at least 21 days. During this time the aeration blowers are operated continuously to provide the air to the microorganisms within the biosolids. The compost piles have to maintain a temperature of at least 55 degrees centigrade for the first three days. Pile temperatures must remain at or above 45 degrees for 18 additional days. Once the proper temperatures have been met, the piles are removed from aeration to the final curing area which takes an additional 21 days. This allows the piles to gradually cool down and finish the compost process. All finished piles are tested for Salmonella and heavy metals mandated by 40 CFR part 503 and Maine’s solid waste rules: Chapter 410 & 419. Class “A” is defined as pathogen free plus the vector reduction has been achieved. Class “A” compost is readily available at the treatment facility.
The effluent exceeds the requirements prescribed by the Maine Pollution Discharge Elimination System (MEPDES).
Influent refers to the dirty water entering a wastewater treatment facility, while effluent refers to the treated water that is released at the end of the process – in our case, the effluent water is released into the Mousam River.
The water is collected, conveyed, screened, treated, and released 24 hours per day to the Mousam River.
We offer residents and businesses the option to purchase an additional meter to measure water usage that is separate from the sewer system. We subtract that usage off your bill at the end of the year. Examples include the water you’d use for pools, washing cars, watering lawns and gardens. Essentially any outside water source that does NOT make its way into the sewer can be measured by an allowance meter.
If you’d like to purchase an allowance meter, simply call our offices and ask. If you already have an allowance meter, do not forget to call in your readings towards the end of the year!
One foot high, by one foot long, by one foot wide. A cube! Or 7.48 gallons of water.
Your sewer bill is based on water consumption readings that we receive from the Sanford Water District which are measured in cubic feet (FT3). Our current rate is $8.20 per 100 FT3 of water, which is equal to 748 gallons of water. “SC” is a service charge and “SW” is the sewer charge.