Tag Archives: Wastewater

Construction, Repairs and Spills

How Does CLTWater Respond To A Wastewater Overflow?

First, what is a wastewater overflow? A wastewater overflow, also referred to as an SSO (Sanitary Sewer Overflow), is a release of untreated or partially treated sewage from a municipal sanitary sewer, typically out of a manhole or a broken pipe.

Taken by Cam Coley, employee City of Charlotte, Charlotte Water

While wastewater overflows are nearly inevitable in a system as large as Charlotte’s, we do our best to keep these incidents to a minimum to protect human and environmental health.

How can I tell if there is a wastewater overflow in a creek?

You may notice a gray, milky color or odor. If you do suspect an overflow, call 311 right away and say or select wastewater emergency, and a crew will respond.

What should I do if I see a wastewater spill?

Call 311 or 704-336-7600 and say or select sewer emergency. We will respond 24 hours a day.

How can I help reduce overflows? 

  • Toss in the trash: paper towels, wipes, hair, cotton swabs, feminine products, dental floss, coffee grounds, and excess food. 
  • Toss in the toilet: only toilet paper. 
  • Drain in the sink: soap suds, small amounts of food from the plate, and liquids. 
  • Take to a full-service recycling center: used and expired oils and grease. 

What causes wastewater overflows?

  • Clogs from wipes, paper towels, leftover kitchen grease, oils, or anything other than toilet paper.
  • Pipe failure (tree falls and breaks pipe, stream/creek erosion causing the pipe to fall into the creek)
  • Tree roots attacking and clogging the pipe
  • Damage by nearby construction. (Reminder to always call 811 before you dig.)

How does CLTWater respond?

A rapid response crew will investigate the area and attempt to remove the clog. This work does not impact drinking water quality. Crews may run hydrants to flush the area, lightly apply lime to sanitize, and/or return to investigate other pipes. Residents and their pets are encouraged to avoid contact with the creek during an overflow response.

How does CLTWater respond to a large overflow?

There is a myriad of responses depending on the situation. For example – a tree falls into the creek, washing out the creek bank and undermining the wastewater pipe just behind the creek bank. Crews frequently inspect these areas, but erosion can occur quickly during heavy rain events. Crews will:

  • Create a temporary access road or path if necessary to respond.
  • Install a temporary wastewater pipe to bypass the broken pipe and stop the overflow. The pumps and temporary above-ground pipes are checked several times daily to prevent possible wastewater overflows.
  • Stabilize the creek bank.
  • Construct a barrier / temporary stream bank to protect workers.
  • Remove the broken pipe. 
  • Install the new pipe and test it.
  • Rebuild the stream bank with clean fill material (soil). 
  • Remove temporary pipes and pumps.
  • Remove large spoil piles of dirt.
  • Complete grading/drainage.
  • Plant trees/shrubs and seed/straw the area.
  • Restore the stream bank and revegetate.
  • If the greenway was closed during work, it would be restored and reopened. When greenways are affected, CLTWater works with Mecklenburg County on restoration.

How does CLTWater handle tropical storms or heavy rains and prevent spills?

The underground sanitary sewer pipe network is not designed to handle rain, yet the runoff and flooding from large rains inevitably infiltrate the wastewater pipe network. Overflow basins at the five largest wastewater treatment plants capture and later treat more than 160 million gallons of rainwater mixed with wastewater. These equalization basins (EQ basins) prevent wastewater from overflowing out of manholes in our community.

CLTWater has also added several large wastewater pipes to help reduce the impact of heavy rains. Crews work to prevent rainwater from getting into the sanitary sewer system and are out investigating our system soon after a storm ends.

Additional Resources:

Wastewater treatment plant process

Why does wastewater cost more than water on my bill?

How does CLTWater respond to a wastewater overflow?

What does a growing city mean to wastewater treatment plants?

Is the odor from a wastewater plant or sewer manhole?

Construction, Infrastructure Improvements

Easement 101

There is a manhole in my backyard. What does Charlotte Water (CLTWater) do to maintain pipes in my yard?

CLTWater maintains a large network of sanitary sewer or wastewater pipes. These are different from the storm drains along gutters. The wastewater pipes flow our communities’ wastewater from your homes and businesses to a wastewater treatment plant.

An easement agreement is a legal document that gives CLTWater the right to access, maintain, clear, repair, inspect, improve, renovate, and replace facilities (including pipes and manholes) on private property. 

Permanent Easements and Your Property

Below is an illustration of wastewater pipes under the streets and then through woods to collect wastewater and flow downstream to a wastewater treatment plant.

the illustration shows a green line under the streets and connecting to circles noting the manholes and then a larger area of 30 feet to note the easement area required to maintain the pipes and manholes.
What is an Easement?Permanent and temporary construction easements are needed to build and maintain water and sewer pipes. An easement agreement is a legal document that gives CLTWater the right to access, maintain, clear, repair, inspect, improve, renovate and replace facilities on a property. City representatives work with property owners to finalize the terms of the agreement, and compensation is determined through an appraisal.

The easement agreement is signed by both the City and the property owner and is recorded at the Mecklenburg Register of Deeds office.  The agreement is accessible online on the Register of Deeds website. 

NOTE: When purchasing a property, easements are not typically reported as part of a title search for the purchase of title insurance.  The best way to determine if there are any easements is to survey the property.​
What can a property owner do with their land within an easement?Though the property owner still has ownership of the land, there are restrictions to what they can do within an easement.  Any restricted items that are found within an easement during clearing activities will not be replaced at Charlotte Water’s expense.

1. Nothing permanent may be stored or built on top of the easement.  This includes but is not limited to slabs, walls, fill, permanent sheds, pools, gazebos and medium-large size trees.

2. Fences are allowed across an easement if a 12-foot access gate is provided.  Gates shall be dual-locked to allow access by the property owner and the City.

3. Charlotte Water has a ‘Landscaping/Planting Guidelines’ document that can help a property owner decide what to plant within an easement.  Certain plants and trees are restricted, as follows:
+ No trees are allowed within a permanent easement.
+ Plants with an invasive root system are not allowed.
+ Gardens, crops, shrubbery and ornamental trees with shallow roots are acceptable within an easement but not directly over the pipe.

4. Installing a concrete/asphalt driveway partially over the easement is possible but with the following restrictions:
+ The property owner will be responsible for any damage caused to the pipe. Care should be taken in compacting the excavated area to avoid damage to the pipe.
+ The property owner will call 811 have utilities located before digging inside easement.
+ A driveway must be shallow (not to exceed 1 foot and shouldn’t cover any existing access points or manholes).

​​5. Irrigation systems are not permitted within water and sewer easements.  Charlotte Water is not responsible for the repair of any irrigation systems installed within a permanent easement.​
What happens to an easement during construction?Easements are cleared of trees, shrubs, structures, and debris in preparation for construction activities. Existing fences located in the easements are removed and temporary fences are installed during construction. ​​
What happens in an easement after a construction project?Typically, crews will re-grade, fertilize and seed easements after construction. Once restored, property owners can make plans to replace landscaping. Charlotte Water is not responsible for replacing custom landscaping within an easement.  Charlotte Water will also repair and replace pavement that was damaged during construction.​​​
Who can I contact if I have an easement question?Prior to any digging or construction, Call 811 to locate any underground utilities (NC 811, Call Before You Dig) or 800.632.4949.
For water and sewer questions within Mecklenburg County, please call the Charlotte Water Assets Hotline at 704.336.1265 or email cltwassets@charlottenc.gov. Please include the address or parcel ID of the property. For storm water or drainage easements, please call 311 for assistance. 
To identify water or sewer easements on your property, email cltwasbuilts@charlottenc.gov with a location (address/parcel ID), details of the request and your contact information.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Easement information is available on the Storm Water Easement webpage.​
How does CLTWater clear the easement?Tree roots can penetrate wastewater pipes, blocking the flow of wastewater, and eventually causing an overflow.
CLTWater periodically clears permanent easements of trees and debris to prevent overflows.
Debris will be turned into mulch or transported off-site.
When possible, trees on the edge of permanent easements are preserved.
Property owners may see activity for several days until crews are able to access easements from another location.
What is a Road right-of-way?A Road right-of-way is a portion of property near the road that is owned by the property owner and available for the city to use for street maintenance or utilities work.
How can I find out what is under my property?Before you start digging along your property borders — or ANYWHERE NEAR public utilities located on or around your property — pick up the phone and dial N.C. One Call number at 1-800-632-4949.
Who do I contact if I have an easement question?You can contact a Charlotte Water representative at cltwassets@charlottenc.gov.

Transcript for Permanent Easements and Your Property Video

There may be more under your property than you know.

If you own a property or are considering buying, the best way to find utility easements is to have the property surveyed. You can also call 311 or 704 336 7600 and ask to speak to Charlotte Water staff about your property. You may be required to sign a confidentiality agreement to receive information. If your property has an easement, then there are restrictions you need to follow. Permanent structures, irrigation systems, trees and other things that may damage or restrict access to the pipe are not permitted within easements, any restricted items found in the easement will not be replaced or repaired by Charlotte Water. If you have a question about an existing easement, please call or email Charlotte Water first. You can expect to see Charlotte Water crews clearing the easement occasionally. Crews may access your property to repair the pipe and eventually replace the pipe. When possible, Charlotte Water will provide advance notice of activities on your property. Charlotte Water staff is dedicated to providing safe drinking water and wastewater services to our community. To learn more please visit CharlotteWater.org.

landscapingguidelinesDownload
My Water, Water Quality

A Cautionary Tale…Replace Your Plumbing Before It Becomes An Emergency

For years, as a Charlotte Water employee, I have encouraged customers to plan ahead for the replacement of their private plumbing, especially if their pipes are nearing 50 years. I thought about replacing my plumbing, but I waited too long. Below is my warning to customers in old houses.

I started hearing a dripping sound that I hadn’t heard before. I followed the sound into the basement and traced it back to our private plumbing line coming into the house. It soon went from a dripping noise to several dripping noises.

I quickly called CharMeck 311 (704-336-7600) to request an emergency water turn-off by Charlotte Water Customer Service. The call took just a few minutes, and a field technician was there to turn off our water at the meter in less than an hour.

A Temporary Solution

We used coolers to capture and store the water leaking out of our walls and then used the water to flush toilets later.

I bought a few gallons of distilled water for coffee and a few gallons of purified water for drinking.

How to flush a toilet without water service

  1. Talk to your next-door neighbors to see if you can hook up a hose temporarily to fill containers.
  2. Lift the toilet tank lid off (see picture)
  3. Pour water to the water line mark inside the tank.
  4. You will need to pour at least two gallons per flush.
  5. I refilled containers using a hose connected to my neighbor’s house and refilled each night at a relative’s home.
  6. We put the containers by the toilets to refill the tank and reused small water bottles to wash hands.

Pro tip– designate one or two toilets as the one(s) you plan on using during the outage. Make others off-limits to reduce the number of toilets you must refill.

Pour water to the ‘water line’ mark in the toilet tank.

After replacing our plumbing line, we ran cold water first for several minutes outside spigots/hose bibs and then indoor tubs and water faucets. The water heater took more than an hour to reheat. As a precaution, we tossed out the old ice and the next batch of ice from the automatic ice maker in the fridge.

Everything changes when you don’t have easy access to flowing water. Our children appreciated tap water more and conserved water because they knew it took extra steps. We are so thankful to have a new water line and I hope my experience helps you prevent a similar emergency and provides a few ideas on how to survive it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some signs I may have a plumbing leak between the water meter and the house?

If you hear a dripping noise or notice wet spots in your crawlspace or basement or even a greener-than-usual patch of grass on the area between your meter and your house you may have a leak.

How much water do I need each day?

At least a gallon for hand washing, brushing teeth and drinking, so at a bare minimum, you will need seven gallons per person per day to drink, brush, and flush. This doesn’t include showers, laundry, or dishwashing. Consider purchasing paper plates, plastic cups, and utensils.

Any purchased water containers (gallon jugs or small water bottles) can be refilled several times to reduce the cost of purchasing water at a store.

Use any large containers you have around to store and refill toilets.

  • Wet dry vacuum to suck up any water if you experience flooding
  • Coolers
  • Dehumidifier and humidifier tanks
  • If possible, store water in a bathtub and keep a large container to scoop the water out

How can I prevent a plumbing emergency?

If your plumbing is 50+ years old, you should plan in advance to prevent this from happening to you:

  • Talk to your home insurance provider to see if your policy covers water line replacement or if it should be added to your policy.
    • Some homeowners’ insurance only covers the damage (i.e., flooding) and not the plumbing repair.
  • Research alternative insurance options, including home warranty or service line protection plans to see if they would be a good fit for your situation

Find out what your plumbing materials are made of.

  • Lead – installed 1900-1986, dull gray and easily scratched surface, although banned in 1986, installation of lead pipes was very rare in Mecklenburg County.
  • Copper – installed 1930s – present, reddish (like a penny) to dark brown or green, in some cases may contain lead-based solder if home was built before 1986 and hasn’t had plumbing replaced after 1986.
  • Galvanized Steel – 1930-1980s, gray or metallic, may rust internally and externally, limited lifespan.
  • Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – 1950s – present, white, doesn’t corrode or rust.
  • Polyethylene (PEX) – 1990s to present, many colors (typically red and blue for hot and cold supply lines), flexible to install.

Don’t wait…

  • Get three quotes/price estimates from licensed plumbers.
    • Each plumber may have a different strategy to replace your plumbing
    • Ask a lot of questions
    • Plumbers are very busy and a project like this will need time to schedule.
    • Know what is under your front yard. Do you have buried fiber optic, wastewater pipes, storm drain, etc? Trees can also affect where your service line is installed. Contact NC 811 to learn about what public utilities can be marked and how to find locators that find private lines (well, septic, gas, etc.)
    • Don’t do anything to your plumbing that could possibly cause a leak.

How long will it take for plumbers to install new plumbing?

It can vary. We were without water for seven days before our new plumbing line was installed and service was restored.

Our water pipe repair damaged a sidewalk. Will the City fix the sidewalk?

If your repair requires damaging or removing the sidewalk, you will need to replace the sidewalk. Make sure to get three quotes and ensure that they are trained and able to complete the work to the city / town sidewalk specifications.

Did you know that your plumbing actually starts at the building side of the meter box? Learn more on this blog.

My Water, Wastewater

Understanding Homeowners Responsibility

Is it My Plumbing or Charlotte Water’s to Maintain?

Where does my private plumbing start?

Property owners maintain all water pipes beginning at the end of the meter, which is the tailpiece for a common 5/8-inch service. Property owners are also responsible for all plumbing, plumbing fixtures, and appliances in their buildings. Likewise, an owner’s responsibility for wastewater pipe (sewer) begins, as a rule of thumb, at the street right-of-way. There may be exceptions. Charlotte Water maintains the water meter, including the meter yoke assembly, meter box, and water and wastewater mains under public streets.

The above Illustration shows that Charlotte Water maintains the water pipes under the public streets and service lines from the water main to the meter box. Charlotte Water also maintains the meter and meter box. The property owner's private plumbing starts at the tailpiece or pipe that leaves the water meter box and piping under the private plumbing to the building and inside the building.
A top-down view of water pipes serving your home. Charlotte Water maintains the water pipes under public streets, public hydrants, and through the meter box. Property owners maintain pipes from the meter box to the buildings and inside the buildings.

You also have a backflow prevention device if you have an irrigation system.

backflow assembly illustration showing that a backflow preventer allow water to flow only one way with vales that auto close if water goes back toward the public water system.

If you live near Lake Norman, Mt. Island Lake, or Lake Wylie, you may also have a low-pressure sewer system (LPSS) that pumps wastewater to the public system.