What Can You Do To Help?

Never pour grease down a sink or drain. Kitchen grease should be placed in a small can and disposed of with household garbage. Never open or allow children to open a manhole cover. Toxic gases may collect in the system that could cause sickness or even death. Open manholes pose a real hazard to the public, particularly children at play. If you see a manhole cover off, contact the sewer department so that they can safely return them to their proper place. Covers are heavy and the crews have special hooks to replace them without causing injury to anyone. Never place objects in the system that don’t belong there. These include leaves, sticks, broken furniture, appliances and toys as well as plastic articles of any type. They are difficult to remove and can damage equipment or obstruct the flow of sewer and storm water. If you see or suspect a sewer leak, please report it promptly to the department. Every effort will be made to address these problems as soon as possible. Conserve water whenever possible. This helps in two ways. First, it assures that our supply of clean water will be available for future generations. It also helps to lower your monthly bill for both water and sewer treatment and disposal. Grass clippings can be bagged and disposed off or used for compost at your home. Placing them in the drain at the curb limits the amount of space for storm water to flow to, and prevents it from leaving your property due to stoppages. Teach your children that sewer lines and manholes are dangerous places to play near, but help them to understand their benefits and how to help protect our environment and our water resources.