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Combined Sewer
Overflows
There are three types
of sewers - Separate sanitary sewers that transport sanitary waste only;
separate storm sewers that transport storm water only; and combined
sewers that transport sanitary wastewater and storm water. The Butler
Wastewater System has more than 8 miles of sewers, of which about 60%
are combined sewers. No new combined sewers have been constructed
since the late '50's.
Combined sewers
transport only sanitary wastewater during periods of dry weather.
However, during periods of wet weather - i.e., when there is rain or
snow melt - the combined sewers transport storm water along with the
sanitary wastewater. The problem with combined sewers is that
their capacity is limited and when the volume of storm water entering
the combined sewers exceeds the capacity of the combined sewer, an
overflow at a designated outfall may occur into Big Run Ditch.
There is only 1 permitted combined sewer overflow (CSO) Outfall in the
Butler sewer system.
The overflow may
contain untreated sanitary wastewater. The untreated sanitary
wastewater contains large amounts of bacteria and those bacteria
represent a risk to human health if a person ingests or comes into
contact with the untreated wastewater in the receiving stream.
Butler's CSO Public
Notification Program
The Butler wastewater
Department will notify the public and those people living adjacent to or
downstream of the CSO Outfall when an overflow occurs. The notice
of any discharge will be provided within 24 hours of the discharge
occurring. The notice may be provided via e-mail, the City's
website, a telephone call or the US Mail. In addition, public
service announcements will be provided to the local media.
Avoid Contact with The Receiving Streams
All citizens are
advised to avoid contact with Big Run Ditch from the US 6 Bridge to
County Road 28 for at least 24 hours after a CSO discharge has occurred.
Studies indicate that the bacterial populations do not survive in
receiving streams longer than 24 hours. If a CSO occurs after a
precipitation event that lasts several days, citizens are advised to
avoid contact with the water for at least 24 hours after the cessation
of the storm event.
In addition, parents
are advised to keep their children away from Big Run Ditch after
precipitation events. Parents should also remind their children
not to play in flooded streets as the flood waters in the streets can
contain bacteria and other substances that can cause health problems.
CSO,
LTCP and the Future
The Wastewater
Department has taken steps to eliminate as many of the CSO discharges as
possible. The Utility upgraded the wastewater treatment plant and
now can process more than 3 million gallons per day of wastewater and
storm water. In addition, a CSO Long Term Control Plan (LCTP) was
submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the
Butler Wastewater Department will be implementing a collection system
capital improvement program in the near future.
Public meetings will
be held to keep all citizens and wastewater customers informed of the
progress being made in addressing these issues. The Department
will be developing a long term financing program to accomplish the
mandated CSO control measures. Citizen input will be essential to
the success of this effort. |
