Wastewater Treatment and Sewer Collection Systems | Frequently Asked Questions

The sewer tap is the physical connection point where the home's sewer line connects to the City of Atlanta main municipal sewer line.

What is a sewer service lateral?

The service lateral is constructed by private owners for private use of their property. It is a private sewer located on private property not serving the community at large and for which the City does not have an executed and recorded easement for the purpose of providing City maintenance. The service lateral is an extension of the house building sewer that connects the building to the City sewer. The maintenance and repair of the entire sewer service lateral is the property owner’s responsibility.

What is the Bureau of Wastewater Treatment & Collection?

The Bureau of Wastewater Treatment & Collection manages the daily operations of the City of Atlanta’s four (4) Wastewater Treatment Plants, seven (7) Combined Sewer Overflow Facilities, fifteen (16) Pumping Stations, and the Metro Atlanta Wastewater Collection Operation and Transmission “Sewer” System in accordance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits and the federally mandated Consent Decree.

What is the difference between a storm drain and a storm sewer?

A storm drain is the inlet structure and the storm sewer is the pipe that transports the fluids.

What is a storm water inlet?

This is a structure that admits surface water to the storm water drainage system, also known as CURB INLET, CATCH BASIN or STORM DRAIN.

What is a storm sewer?

This is a pipe, conduit or open channel (sewer) that carries runoff from storms, surface drainage, and street wash. Storm sewer does not convey domestic, industrial or commercial wastes.

What is municipal sewage?

Sewage collected from residences, public owned buildings, industries, and commercial establishments and conveyed to a publicly owned treatment facility.

What is a sanitary sewer?
This is the portion of the wastewater collection system designed to convey municipal sewage (domestic (household), commercial and industrial wastewaters) through a single-pipe system to a to a wastewater treatment facility. Included in the wastewater collection system are a network of force mains, gravity sewer lines and manholes.

What is a combine sewer?

This is the portion of the wastewater collection system designed to convey municipal sewage (domestic (household), commercial and industrial wastewaters) and storm runoff through a single-pipe system to a wastewater treatment facility, or a Combined Sewer Overflow Facility.

What is a sewage overflow or sanitary sewage overflow?

A sewage overflow is the intentional or unintentional diversion of flow from a sanitary or combined sewer collection and transmission system. Sewage overflows include discharges to public property or discharges on private property; discharges to State Waters and United State Waters.

What is an outfall?

The point, location or structure where wastewater or drainage discharges from a sewer, drain, or other conduit.

What is an outfall sewer?

This is a sewer that receives wastewater from a collection system or from a wastewater treatment plant and carries it to a point of ultimate or final discharge in the environment.

What happens when I request service from the Department of Watershed Management?

When you contact our customer service center, a customer service representative will enter your concerns into our database for tracking purposes. A service request will be generated and an inspector will be dispatched to investigate the issues. Initial contact usually occurs within 24 hours.

What is a service request?

The service request is a document that is generated by our customer service center to assist with one issue, problem, or question relating to the City’s sanitary and combined sewer or storm water system. The service request is design to capture the caller contact information, concerns of the caller, and results of the assessment.

What is an inspector?

The inspector is the first responder to investigate customer’s concerns; they are dispatched through our customer service center when the City of Atlanta receives a complaint.

Why does the City research easements on my property when handling my sewer repair problems?

City of Atlanta employees do not have legal authority to dispatch crews on to private property to perform work without a City of Atlanta easement that has been issued to the City and accepted by the City of Atlanta to perform maintenance on a publicly owned structure within the boundaries of the easement.

EASEMENT - Gives one party the right to go onto another party's property. Utilities often get easements that allow them to run pipes or phone lines beneath private property.

How are repair requests prioritized?

Requests are prioritized first based on items affecting health and/ or public safety, secondly based on environmental impact and third based on severity.

What are issues that the Department does not address?

Some of the problems that don't qualify for repair are:

· Broken or leaking gutters and downspouts.

· Low spots between homes or properties where water stands.

· Leaking basements and wet crawl spaces caused by the slope of the property.

· Underground springs.

What to do when a sewage backup occurs in the home/yard, etc.?

Contact our Customer Service Center for assistance at 404-624-0751

What is the schedule for cleaning storm drains

Catch basins are cleaned on a quarterly basis in the Combined Sewer Area and on a per call basis outside of the Combined Sewer Area.

Creek flooding?

The City of Atlanta does not maintain creek or stream on private property. The City of Atlanta maintains creeks within city parks on City of Atlanta property. The City of Atlanta also maintains creek banks as necessary to protect city utilities.

Who is responsible for cleaning up sewage spills and things of this nature?

Spills on private property or inside a private building is the responsibility of the property owner. Spills that occur due to intentional or unintentional diversion of flow from a sanitary or combined sewer collection and transmission system are the city’s responsibility.