The Dayton Sewer System came into existence due to
a City Council decision in 1889 to pave the downtown streets. Construction
on the system began in 1890 with early maintenance provided by the Sewer
Inspection Office.
The Division of Sewer Maintenance was established
in 1908 and currently maintains over 400 miles of storm sewers and over 600
miles of sanitary sewers.
There are 26 sewage and stormwater pumping stations
throughout the City of Dayton. A crew of 3 lift station mechanics maintain
these pump stations. These stations pump sewage from low areas of the city.
The stormwater stations provide flood control.
The Division of Sewer Maintenance is divided into
four major categories: Sewer Cleaning & Repair, TV Sewer Inspection,
Pump Station Operation & Maintenance, and 24-Hour Emergency Sewer
Service.
The Cleaning section uses sewer rodding machines,
jet rodders and jet vacs to remove obstructions in the sewer lines and
maintain a steady flow to the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The Repair section fixes broken sewer mains,
replaces broken catch basins and manholes. They also work with Street
Maintenance in the yearly resurfacing program by raising or lowering
manholes to grade after streets have been resurfaced.
A Sewer Investigation Crew provides 24-hour service
to respond to routine and emergency complaints from citizens.
The TV Inspection section does internal inspections
of approximately 30 miles of sewers per year using camera and video
recording equipment to locate problems from within the system.