Camrose Sanitary Sewer System

The Camrose Sanitary Sewer System in Camrose is treated as a separate utility. It is funded entirely from user fees which are charged to customers on their monthly utility bill. No municipal tax revenue is used to subsidize the sanitary sewer system. For a full description of the rates click here: Utility Bill Explanation

The Camrose Sanitary Sewer System collects and treats the wastewater that we flush down our household or building's sinks, drains or toilets. The System includes a network of pipes that connect almost every building in the City to the wastewater treatment facility in the south side of Camrose. The treatment facility is licensed by Alberta Environment to service up to 20,000 people, and is capable of servicing up to 22,000 people before major expansions are required.

The Sanitary Sewer System does not treat Storm water from the street. Water which flows to the street and which enters the Storm Sewer System flow directly to Camrose creek with no or little treatment.

Camrose produces approximately 6000 m³ (1.3 million gallons) of wastewater per day. All of this wastewater must undergo treatment before being returned to Camrose Creek. The treatment process takes approximately one month. Treated water is then stored for up to 6 months before being released.

The most recent upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Facility occurred n 1992 with the addition of aerated treatment and additional storage. Aerated treatment eliminates almost all of the odors associated with the treatment process, while at the same time, improving the quality of effluent discharge. The quality of effluent discharge is important in protecting our environment and in protecting our drinking water supply.

Wastewater is what we flush and what goes "down the drain". It comes from many different sources, both domestic and industrial, and contains many different compounds.

Contrary to what most people believe, our wastewater does not contain "exotic" chemicals, metals or highly toxic substances. Our wastewater is composed primarily of natural organic substances, which are the byproduct of human, animal and plant processes. The primary elements in our wastewater include nitrogen, phosphorous, ammonia, and carbon. Camrose Creek contains all of these substances. The large quantities present in the wastewater could be harmful if they were not removed. The Camrose Wastewater treatment facility removes about 90% of these compounds before the water is released to the environment.

The major household contributors of wastewater are toilets, sinks, showers and floor drains.

Most of the water used in a home ends up in the Sanitary Sewer System.

• 40% is flushed down the toilet
• 30% is used in showers and baths
• 15% is used for dishwashing and laundry

Combined, these account for 85% of household wastewater and the majority of residential wastewater.

Another major source of wastewater is the weeping tiles in some homes. Weeping tiles are pipes surrounding the foundation of buildings that absorb any excess moisture near the foundation to protect it from water damage. Weeping tiles around houses built in Camrose between 1970 and 1994 discharge foundation water into the Sanitary Sewer System. Unfortunately, improper grading can result in large amounts of surface water entering the Sanitary Sewer during rainstorms. During major storms, these large flows can overload a sanitary system, causing sewage backup and widespread basement flooding. To control this flooding and put the responsibility for lot grading back on homeowners, City Council passed a bylaw in 1994 which prohibited the connection of weeping tiles to the Sanitary Sewer. This change should significantly reduce the amount of water in the Sanitary Sewer System in new areas, especially during major storms.

Basement Flooding

The sanitary service connection is a pipe that runs from the sanitary main in the street to the residence or buildings. The diameter of the sanitary sewer pipe is usually 100mm (4") but can be larger for commercial or industrial services.

The City installs the sanitary service from the sanitary main to property line when the lot is created. The sanitary sewer service is extended from property line to the building by the building contractor when the building is constructed.

The City is responsible for any structural problems related to the sanitary service between the sanitary main and the property line. The property owner is responsible for any structural problems to the sanitary sewer between the property line and the house, including the connection at the property line. The property owner is also responsible for any blockages of the sanitary service caused by grease, rags, or other materials which may be flushed down the sewer, regardless of where the blockage occurs.

In areas constructed prior to 1980 the sanitary sewer pipe was composed of a clay tile material which had a joint every four feet. In areas where there are mature trees the tree roots may penetrate these joints and eventually cause blockages in the sanitary sewer.

If it is determined that the blockage is caused by boulevard trees belonging to the City the City will clear the blockage and place the sewer on a maintenance program to ensure that the roots are kept clear.

If it is determined that the trees causing the problem are on private property, the property owner has a choice of looking after the problem by using a private plumber or contracting the City to put the service on a maintenance program. In extreme cases the sanitary sewer may be replaced with modern PVC pipe which does not allow root penetration. The cost of this replacement is usually shared with the property owner paying for the portion of the service on private property and the City paying for a portion of the service on the public right of way.

If you have a problem with your sanitary sewer, we encourage you to contact the Public Works Department at 672-5513 or during off hours if you have an emergency, call 672-4444. Public Works will send a qualified operator to determine the cause of the blockage and affect a repair. You will be asked to sign a work order prior to the inspection and if it is determined that the City is not responsible you will be invoiced for the work.

Camrose has strict bylaws pertaining to waste water disposal, which helps protect the environment from harmful substances that our treatment system may not be able to remove. The bylaws, including the City of Camrose Sewer By-Law, impose strict penalties for discharging these substances into the sewers. In general, anything that could harm the sewer, animals, vegetation or humans is not permitted in the sewer system. These include (but are not limited to):

• paints
• organic solvents
• any corrosive matter (by itself or in combination)
• any dye that may alter the color of sewage works effluent

The "strength" of the wastewater is measured by how quickly a sample of a specific size consumes oxygen at a given temperature. The Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) of our wastewater before treatment averages around 280 mg/L. The BOD of the water after treatment is approximately 8 mg/L.

Inspectors can test the quality of the wastewater entering the system. This allows the City to regulate disposal and ensure compliance with the bylaw. Camrose has strict penalties for those who discharge harmful wastes. These include a series of fines and possible disconnection from the public sewer system.

Some industries have wastewater with high levels of phosphorous, nitrogen, or grease. While not prohibited, these high levels cause increased maintenance and operational costs to treat the sewage. If the strength of the wastewater is above the levels specifies in the bylaws, the City can either charge extra for the treatment or require the industry to pre-treat its waste. If an industry is found discharging prohibited substances, the City can impose strict fines or disconnect their service.

Because sanitary waste in Camrose is primarily composed of organic matter, a natural treatment system is used. By bubbling large volumes of air through the wastewater, the natural processes of organic decomposition are enhanced. No chemical systems are used. The aeration system removes most of the nutrients found in the water. These include: phosphorous, nitrogen, and carbon. Removing the nutrients in the wastewater is crucial in limiting environmental damage to Camrose Creek. In addition to removing the organic substances in the water, the process also removes solid debris such as rocks, clay, sticks, cans and rags.

The City's treatment system does not have a magic process which can remove any and all pollutants. This is why we need the Sewer Bylaw and the cooperation of our citizens and industries. Limited amounts of heavy metals and other chemicals are removed by a settling process and are retained by the sludge which forms at the bottom of the storage lagoon, but the system cannot handle large amounts of these types of substances.

The Sanitary Sewer Collection System is a complex network of underground pipes. These pipes have over 5000 service connections, which connect almost every building in the City. Altogether there are over 160 km of underground pipes.

The pipes are made from several different materials. These materials vary, depending on the time they were installed. Concrete and clay tile pipes are common in the older areas of the City. Newer districts are more likely to use PVC since it is less susceptible to cracks and breaks. PVC has more tightly sealed joints so there is less infiltration. It is also smoother, so it allows for better flow characteristics. The size of piping varies from 100 mm (4 inches) to 1500mm (60 inches) in diameter, depending on the expected flow rates for the area.

The Sanitary Sewer System is designed so that all of the waste collected flows "downhill" by gravity to the main pump station at the treatment facility south of Camrose. All of the wastewater in Camrose is transported by gravity to the Wastewater Treatment Facility except for a few low elevation houses on 58th Street as well as the highway commercial area west of 68th Street. Each of these areas requires a pumping station to "lift" the wastewater to the adjacent gravity sewer. A trunk sewer runs along the Camrose Creek Valley to the main pump station at 23 Avenue. Just before the wastewater enters the main pump station it passes through the comminutor grinder. The comminutor is a cylinder with sharp blades that shred larger materials (such as rags, cans or pieces of wood) in the wastewater so they do not clog the pumps.

The pump station "lifts" the sewage from the valley to the wastewater treatment facility. The pump station has three pumps, which can work independently or in unison. Typically, only one pump is required at a time, though during heavy rainstorms, more may be necessary. The pumps are controlled automatically to adjust to changing flows.

Since it is impossible to shut off the sewage flow from the City, emergency standby is necessary. The pump station houses a backup generator in case of power failure, and an emergency overflow lagoon is also available for raw sewage diversion if complete pump station failure occurs. The emergency lagoon is a grassed area, which can be filled in an emergency preventing overflow of the raw sewage to Camrose Creek.

The generator is starts automatically if there is a power failure, and an operator is called if there is any problem, or if any unauthorized person enters the station.

Once wastewater reaches the treatment facility it must undergo several steps before it can be released back into Camrose Creek. Camrose uses a natural treatment process for its wastewater treatment. No chemicals are added to the water. Instead, an aeration system is used which enhances the natural bacterial breakdown of the nutrients in the water.

Air is used by naturally occurring bacteria in the sewage to break down the organic compounds into carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas and a sludge which contains both nitrogen and phosphorous.

The aeration system also eliminates the odor associated with most wastewater treatment systems. The odorless treatment has significantly improved air quality in the City, especially during the spring thaw. The odor problem which was present before the new facility was constructed in 1992 has been almost completely eliminated.

The treatment process moves the wastewater through a series of three aeration cells. The first aeration cell is the Rapid Mix Aeration Cell. It is the smallest of the three and has 228 aerators. These aerators are close together and discharge large amounts of oxygen into the water. The rapid churning of the water, caused by the aerators, also functions to keep any solids suspended in the water until they are broken down. Wastewater remains in this cell for approximately two days under maximum flow conditions before moving to the next aeration cell.

The second aeration cell is seven times the size of the Rapid Mix Aeration Cell. Water is stored here for approximately 14 days and aeration continues to break down the wastewater. The cell has 114 aerators, so the aeration is not as intense as in the rapid mix cell.

The final aeration cell is the same size as the second. It also holds water for 14 days before it flows into the storage ponds. This cell holds 40 aerators, which continue to aerate the water, although not as intense as the previous two cells.

After the water has been completely treated, it is stored in a lagoon for up to six months. The storage is necessary because of the low flow in Camrose Creek. Our license to operate, granted by Alberta Environment, allows only two discharges annually; one in the spring and one in the fall. Wastewater is stored in storage lagoon cells until it can be released. Each discharge takes between 20 and 30 days to complete. Fortunately, the storage has a positive environmental impact. The extra storage time allows more cleansing to occur by aerobic and anaerobic breakdown. UV radiation from sunlight is also effective in killing viruses in the water. The high standards of the water treatment in Camrose make the water the City returns to Camrose Creek often as good as, or better than, the water in the Creek itself.

Alberta Environment regulates discharges into Camrose Creek. The water is tested at the discharge point, before, during and after the discharge, and again downstream where Camrose Creek enters the Battle River.

Approximately 2,000,000 m3 of treated wastewater is discharged on a biannual basis. In order to reduce the erosion the water is discharged over several weeks. Strict monitoring ensures that the Creek is not negatively affected by the discharge.

Every 5 to 10 years the sludge on the bottom of the aeration and storage cells must be removed. Lowering the water level in the cells and then mixing the sludge into the remaining water removes the sludge. It is then tested to make sure no harmful elements are present, and is finally trucked to farms to be used as fertilizer.

	City of CamroseWelcomeVisitorsCommunityAdministrationLeisureEngineeringProtective            We welcome your feedback Updated June 6, 2006