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 City's formally adopted Fats/Oils/Grease (FOG) Management Program.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 5/18/2025
Discharge: 16,640 gals. approx.
Location: Point Clear Rd LS37
Latitude: 33.271604
Longitude: -87.517414
Destination: SD to UT to Lake Tuscaloosa
Cause: LS Power Failure/inclement weather
Failure: At approximately 10:29am, LS crews responded to a high wet well and power failure alarm. Upon arrival, it was confirmed that a discharge was occurring at manhole 96A due to the power outage/inclement weather. Crews acted swiftly and initiated the on-site generator to restore operations. Unfortunately, the generator experienced mechanical issues after a period of operation. In response, a backup generator was mobilized to the site. During the interim period, vacuum trucks were deployed to mitigate and contain the discharge as effectively as possible. Once the backup generator was installed and fully operational, normal operations resumed, and the overflow ceased. The estimated volume and duration of the SSO have been determined through a combination of field observation, SCADA system data, and manhole spillage charts. SSO signage is in place and pure green 24 was applied for disinfectant. Environmental sampling of the receiving waters is ongoing at this time. The Tuscaloosa County Health Agency as well as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 5/12/2025
Discharge: 4,100 gals. approx.
Location: 4000 Block of Greenview Dr.
Latitude: 33.186930
Longitude: -87.596902
Destination: UT to Cypress Creek
Cause: Rainfall Event
Failure: City crews responded to a high wet well alarm at LS18. Once on site crews identified a wet well discharge. Vac trucks were used to mitigate the discharge. Crews are monitoring the location. SSO signage is in place. The affected area will be cleaned and disinfected. The Tuscaloosa County Health Agency as well as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 5/10/2025
Discharge: 275,200 gals. approx.
Location: Cousette St. and Kaulton Rd.
Latitude: 33.178455
Longitude: -87.569828
Destination: UT to Cypress Creek
Cause: Rainfall Event
Failure: City crews responded to a MH discharge. Crews are monitoring the location. SSO signage is in place. The affected area will be cleaned and disinfected. The Tuscaloosa County Health Agency as well as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 5/10/2025
Discharge: 8,050 gals approx.
Location: 4000 Block of Greenview Dr.
Latitude: 33.186930
Longitude: -87.596902
Destination: UT to Cypress Creek
Cause: Rainfall Event
Failure: City crews responded to a high wet well alarm at LS18. Once on site crews identified a wet well discharge. Crews are monitoring the location. SSO signage is in place. The affected area will be cleaned and disinfected. The Tuscaloosa County Health Agency as well as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 5/10/2025
Discharge: 420,050 gals approx.
Location: 4400 Block of Reese Phifer Ave
Latitude: 33.170565
Longitude: -87.564148
Destination: UT to Cribbs Mill Creek
Cause: Rainfall Event
Failure: City crews responded to a MH discharge. Crews are monitoring the location. SSO signage is in place. The affected area will be cleaned and disinfected. The Tuscaloosa County Health Agency as well as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 5/10/2025
Discharge: 1,000 gallons approx.
Location: 4000 Block of Skyland Blvd E
Latitude: 33.173516
Longitude: -87.477443
Destination: UT to Cottondale Creek
Cause: Rainfall Event
Failure: City crews responded to a high wet well alarm at LS13. Once on site crews identified a wet well discharge. Crews are monitoring the location. SSO signage is in place. The affected area will be cleaned and disinfected. The Tuscaloosa County Health Agency as well as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 5/7/2025
Discharge: 225,500 gallons approx.
Location: 4800 Block of Cypress Creek Ave E
Latitude: 33.162426
Longitude: -87.504233
Destination: Cypress Creek
Cause: Broken Sewer Line
Failure: City crews responded to a sinkhole in the 4800 Block of Cypress Creek Ave E. Once on site crews identified a broken sewer line that was discharging into Cypress Creek. Sewer line break was attributed to an adjacent utility that failed which caused it to collapse on the sewer line which caused the sewer line to break. City contractors were dispatched to the location to set up bypass pumps to pump around the broken section of sewer line. Vac truck were utilized to mitigate the discharge. Once bypass pumps were in place and activated the discharge stopped. Crews placed out pure green 24 for disinfectant. SSO volume and duration was calculated via field observation and Mannings flow chart. Emergency repair contract is underway and permanent repairs will be completed in the near future. The Tuscaloosa County Health Agency as well as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.
Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notice
Date: 5/5/2025
Discharge: 500 gallons approx.
Location: 3700 Block of White Oaks Ridge
Latitude: 33.257775
Longitude: -87.487404
Destination: UT to Waterfalls Branch to Black Warrior River
Cause: Broken Low Pressure Sewer Line
Failure: Once on site crews observed a low pressure sewer line discharge. Discharge was attributed to a line break. City contractors were dispatched to make repairs to the line. Crews placed out pure green 24 for disinfectant. SSO signage is in place. SSO volume and duration was calculated via field observation. The Tuscaloosa County Health Agency as well as the Alabama Department of Environmental Management have been notified.