The City of Tuscaloosa has over 700 plus miles of sewer collection lines with 66 active lift stations and over 12,000 manholes. The Water & Sewer Department also operates the Hilliard N. Fletcher Water Resource Recovery Facility, which treats over 17 million gallons of wastewater each day. The Water & Sewer Department provides uninterrupted clean water and sewer services to Tuscaloosa residents.
Additionally, the collections network of the Water & Sewer Department has a robust maintenance plan which includes acoustic pipe inspection, closed-circuit TV pipe inspection, gravity line maintenance cleaning, gravity line replacement, system point repairs, manhole inspection, manhole rehabilitation, system smoke testing, and a formal Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) program.
Finally, an achievement that the department is especially proud of is reducing the number of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) per year to a fraction of what it was in previous years. SSOs have been reduced by over 80% since 2009. This improvement is primarily due to the increased frequency of sewer manhole and line inspection, cleaning, and rehabilitation, combined with the formalized FOG program.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 3/9/2024
Discharge: Less than 100 gallons
Location: 3,000 block of 50th Street East
Latitude: 33.161673
Longitude: -87.493014
Destination: Onto Ground
Cause: City Sewer Line obstruction
Failure: The City's Operations Technical Services group assessed a residential clean-out lateral which was discharging onto the property. Jet truck technicians cleared the obstruction in the City's sewer line, subsequently ending the residential lateral discharge. Affected areas were cleaned & disinfected and SSO signage was placed. The Tuscaloosa County Health Department and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 3/8/2024
Discharge: Less than 1,000 gallons
Location: Lift Station 42-6000 block of East Hargrove Rd
Latitude: 33.147048
Longitude: -87.473426
Destination: Unnamed tributary to Hurricane Creek
Cause: Lift Station Pump Failure
Failure: The City's Wastewater Department's techs responded to a SCADA high wet well alarm at Lift Station #42. Upon assessing equipment, techs discovered that pumps were airlocked, rendering the pumps inoperable thus causing the subsequent sanitary sewer overflow. Technicians restored the lift station to on-line status which ended the discharge. Affected areas were cleaned & disinfected and SSO signage was placed. SSO notifications were placed at nearby residences. The station is being monitored. The Tuscaloosa County Health Department and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 3/8/2024
Discharge: approx. 10,650 gallons
Location: 1800 Block of Collier Way
Latitude: 33.107974
Longitude: -87.562068
Destination: SD/UT/Little Sandy Creek/Black Warrior River
Cause: I/I due to Construction Site failure.
Failure: Crews were dispatched to the 1800 Block of Collier Way. Once on-site crew found MH 9765 discharging. In addition, crews assessed there to be a high-level alarm at the DS LS (68). At this point crews tracked surcharged city sewer lines/MHs to a construction zone/development upstream of the Collier Way. Crews assessed several MHs and sewer lines pertaining to the development were not properly sealed and were allowing I/I. Crews notified the contractor to correct the issues immediately. Once defective sewer lines were capped the discharge ended. CCTV follow-up inspection will be scheduled next week. SSO signage and door notification is in place. SSO area was cleaned and disinfected. SSO volume was calculated via MH spillage chart and field observation. Monitoring of receiving water is ongoing currently. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management as well as the Tuscaloosa County Health Department are being notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 2/27/2024
Discharge: approx. 7,000 gallons
Location: 3800 Block of Arcadia Dr.
Latitude: 33.197165
Longitude: -87.489461
Destination: Cribbs Mill Creek
Cause: Failed/Damaged/Collapsed Sewer Line
Failure: While locating along a City ROW crews found a broken sewer line in a creek. Crews dispatched City contractors to the location to make repairs. Once repairs were made the discharge ended. Crews disinfected the SSO area. SSO signage is in place. SSO duration and volume was calculated via field observation. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management as well as the Tuscaloosa County Health Department are being notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 2/16/2024
Discharge: approx. 500 gallons
Location: 9000 Old Greensboro Rd
Latitude: 33.125288
Longitude: -87.554335
Destination: Unnamed tributary to Duck Creek
Cause: Bypass pump failure
Failure: The City's Operations Technical Services Group responded to a sewer discharge from a failed bypass pump. Jet Vac operators cleaned the discharge while crews disinfected the affected area. The bypass pump failure was corrected. SSO signage was posted. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management as well as the Tuscaloosa County Health Department are being notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 2/13/2024
Discharge: < 500 gallons
Location: #1 block of Loop Road
Latitude: 33.186411
Longitude: -87.512186
Destination: Unnamed tributary to Cribbs Mill Creek
Cause: Debris Obstruction
Failure: The City's Operations Technical Services Group responded to a sewer manhole discharge at the #1 block of Loop Road. Jet Vac operators jetted the sewer line, clearing the blockage and ending the SSO.. SSO signage was posted and the area is being monitored. The affected areas have been cleaned and disinfected. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management as well as the Tuscaloosa County Health Department are being notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 2/12/2024
Discharge: Volume: 5,500 gallons
Location: 4,000 block of Reese Phifer Avenue
Latitude: 33.169970
Longitude: -87.562803
Destination: Unnamed tributary to Cribbs Mill Creek
Cause: Wet Weather
Failure: The City's Operations Technical Services Group responded to a manhole sewer discharge at the 4,000 block of Reese Phifer Avenue. The SSO is attributed to heavy rains. SSO signage has been posted and the area is being monitored. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management as well as the Tuscaloosa County Health Department are being notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 2/12/2024
Discharge: 20,708 gallons approximately
Location: 8,000 block of South Hwy 69
Latitude: 33.125640
Longitude: -87.551969
Destination: Storm Drain to Duck Creek
Cause: Sewer line obstruction
Failure: The City's Operations Technical Services Group responded to sewer backup at the 8,000 block of South Highway 69. Crews utilized a jet truck to remove the blockage which ended the discharge. SSO signage has been posted. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Tuscaloosa County Health Department are being notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 2/5/2024
Discharge: 2,000 gal. Approx.
Location: 3100 University Blvd E.
Latitude: 33.207064
Longitude: -87.497591
Destination: Storm Drain to UT to Cribbs Mill Creek
Cause: Grease
Failure: The City's Operations Technical Services Group responded to sewer backup at 3100 University Blvd E. Crews quickly utilized a jet truck to remove the blockage which ended the discharge. The SSO was attributed to a grease blockage. The SSO area was cleaned and disinfected. SSO signage was posted and crews notified the customers affected. SSO volume was calculated via field observation. Post SSO CCTV is being scheduled. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Tuscaloosa County Health Department are being notified.