Engineering

The mission of the Sanitary Sewer Utility Section is provide safe, reliable, efficient and cost-effective collection of wastewater. This section is responsible for the sanitary sewer system. These services and programs protect the safety and welfare of the public and natural environment.

The sanitary sewer system is a series of pipes and pumping stations that take wastewater from homes and businesses and deliver it to the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District for treatment of the wastewater. The Sanitary Sewer Utility directs the planning, design, construction and repair of public sanitary sewer facilities among the following:

• Reviews all individual lot improvements for City’s sanitary sewer capacity impacts
• Replaces sewer facilities to handle the development with street reconstructions
• Designs sewer size and lay out sewer mains for new subdivision development
• The Sewer Utility assumes ownership and responsibility for maintenance and operation of sewers upon acceptance of the improvements by the Common Council.
• Designs sanitary sewer improvements with street reconstruction projects
• Evaluates sewer camera footage, data to prioritize which areas of the City are in greatest need for sewer improvements
• Complete all Regulatory Reporting Requirements with City’s CMOM (Capacity, Management, Operation and Maintenance) for the WDNR (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources).
• Identifies sources of clearwater (non-sanitary flow) entering City sewer
• Completes Capacity Analysis Studies often involved with redevelopment projects
• Eliminate preventable infrastructure issues while protecting the health and safety of citizens and the environment and maximizing the useful life and capacity of the structures.

Engineering Operations Crews maintain the Sanitary Sewer through an aggressive preventative maintenance program among the following:

• Clean, televise the inside of pipes to assess condition of sewer
• Remove blockages in the sewer system (manholes and sewer mains)
• Complete repairs to cracked and broken sewer mains
• Complete repair on Sewer Access Structures (invert, bench and casting work)
• Locate and mark utilities
• Inspect for sewer pipe lining

Sanitary Sewer Fast Facts

• 790 miles of sewer main in the City of Madison
• 29 Lift Stations (Lift stations are needed if an area cannot be served by gravity sewer)
• 10 miles of force mains (pressure sewer mains connected to pumping stations).
• Force main sanitary sewers are connected to lift stations operate under pressure.
• 4.2 million feet of sewer laterals.
• 20,000 Sewer Access Structures(manholes)
• 4.2 million feet of sewer laterals(all privately owned and maintained)
• The City’s Area Clean Program has 2.7 million linear feet in it
• Preventative Maintenance Program has 1.5 million linear feet in it
• 28.1 million gallons of wastewater flowing through the system per day
• Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) separate entity from the Madison Sewer Utility treats all of the City of Madison Wastewater