Answers:

1. I have a sewer back-up in my basement. What should I do?

 see Backups under the General Information Menu Tab

​

2. I am developing a property.  Am I required to connect to the District's sewer system?

 Yes, if within 300 feet of the District's system.  Per Maine Law,  The owner(s) of all buildings, or other properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes, situated within the city and abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public sanitary sewer of the District, is here­by required at the owner's expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this contract, within 30 days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 300 feet of the structure to be served, unless undue hardship would result, in which case the property owner should request in writ­ing a deferral of this requirement; and the owner shall be required to demonstrate the nature and degree of hardship.

​

3. I want to connect to the District's sewer system. What do I need to do?

 You should contact the District and inform them of what you want to do.  The District will check to ensure their system is in the area where you want to connect to.  The District will check to determine if their system has the capacity to handle the additional effluent from the proposed connection (this would only be a problem if the new connection is for a large user and would not apply to a normal residential customer).  Once it is determined that there is a system to connect then the property owner must complete a permit application and pay the required fees.  This permit must be complete and fee payment must be received prior to connecting to the District's system.  The service that connects to the system is considered private and must be installed by the property owner.  District personnel will make the physical connection to the District's system.  Two days notice is required when the property owner or their contractor wants to connect the service.   

 

4. What is the difference between WSD and KSTD?

 The Waterville Sewerage District (WSD) is often confused with the Kennebec Sanitary Treatment District (KSTD).  They are neighbors located on Water Street in Waterville, but they are separate entities.  WSD is responsible for the Operations, Maintenance, Sustainment, and Upgrading of the Sanitary and Storm Drainage collection systems in the City of Waterville.  KSTD runs the treatment plant that process the sanitary effluent from Waterville, Winslow, Fairfield, Benton and Huhtamaki. 

​

5. On my bill there is an entry that says Surcharge and a cost of $30.00.  What is the Surcharge and is there a way to stop it?

During the 2009 Rate Study, in an effort to eliminate unlawful clean water connections to the District's sanitary system, a surcharge was established for properties that have sump pumps, perimeter drains, or floor drains connected to the sanitary system.  When the surcharge was established property owners were given at least a year to schedule an inspection with the District to determine if they had illegal clean water connections to the District's sanitary system.  If during the inspection it was found that there were no illegal connections the surcharge would be waived.  If illegal connections were found then, when the grace period was over, the property owner would be charged the surcharge until the connection was separated from the District's sanitary system. Property owners failing to schedule inspections, after the grace period, would also be assessed the surcharge until they scheduled and passed an inspection.  For more information regarding clean water connections click the following link:

​

6. What is WSD responsible for and what am I (the property owner) responsible for?

The District is responsible for the installation and maintenance of over 107 miles of sanitary and storm sewer mains.  Property owners are responsible to install and maintain sewer and storm laterals (services) up to the point where they connect to the District's sanitary or storm sewer mains.  The District is responsible for the physical connection of a private lateral to the District's main. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

7.  I am trying to find out information (location or other) about my sanitary service or the District's sanitary system.  What should I do?

Contact the District and ask for the GIS Manager.  The District spent and continues to spend a considerable amount of time and effort mapping and tracking the condition of the District's system.  This is challenging as there is well over 100 years of history underground and there have been gaps in recording the location of the District's system.  The GIS manager uses a GPS instrument to record the location of the Districts structures and whenever possible the locations where private services connect to the District's systems. The data from the GPS device is downloaded to ESRI GIS mapping software. The information regarding private services is not as well documented, but all of the historic information that the District has was digitized and whenever a private service is installed the information is recorded.  The District will be happy to share what information we have with property owners, contractors or planners that need it. The District will also locate our system for people needing the information. 

​

8. I understand that if I do not pay my bill a lien will be placed on my property.  Can you explain the lien process to me?

In accordance with the District's Charter, the District is required to collect payment for services and if payment is not received by certain dates then liens will be place on a customers property.   For additional information regarding the District's lien process click on the following link:  

​

9. What are the colored paint marks and flags on the ground mean?

If you see painted marks or flags on the ground you are probably seeing Dig Safe markings made by utility companies. Someone is planning to dig in the marked area and called Dig Safe who then notified the appropriate utility companies to mark the locations of their infrastructure.  The project area is normally marked with white paint.   Utilities marking their infrastructure in the project area use specific colors to mark their location.  Below is the Dig Safe Color Coding System.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

10. What is the Dig Safe process for property owners?

A brochure explaining the Dig Safe process is available by clicking on the following link:

 

 

11.  I am purchasing a new house or business.  Should I have the sewer service \ system inspected?

If you are considering purchasing a house or business the District highly recommends that you hire a professional to inspect the sewer system.  Sewer line repair can be costly.  The time to discover problems is before you buy the house or business.  The best method is a video sewer line inspection and it might be the best money you spend before you close on the new property.

​

A common misconception is that only older homes have sewer line problems. In this case, older homes mean anything built prior to 1980. It's true that homes with Clay Tile and Orangeburg Pipe are more susceptible to sewer line issues but modern homes can have issues as well.

​

In modern homes (post-1980s), problems generally occur because of installation, not materials. The sewer line generally lies in a trench that goes from the house to the sewer at the street. This trench is backfilled and compacted after the line installation. The soil can be over-compacted, breaking the line, this is rare. It’s more likely that a rock can end up next to the pipe and the subsequent compaction of the soil will crack the pipe and cause problems down the road. Failing to properly glue the PVC joints also creates big problems down the road

​

12.  I am selling my house.  How do I close my account and receive a final bill?

You will need to notify the Kennebec Water District to inform them that you will be selling your house. The person buying your house will also need to contact the Kennebec Water District to open an account.  After the account is opened and a final read date given to the Water District, they will take a final reading from their water meter and prepare a final bill.  At that time, they will send the Waterville Sewerage District  the meter reading usage so we can prepare a final sewer bill.  The attorney, realtor, or mortgage company handling the closing of the house will then call both the Kennebec Water District and the Waterville Sewerage District to get the final amounts due. After the closing, a check will be sent to the Waterville Sewer District with the final amount due.  At that time, your name will be taken off the account and the new owner will then be responsible for the bill going forward.

​

13.  I own a restaurant (or food processing facility) what are the requirements for Grease Interceptors (Grease Traps). 

Information regarding requirements for Grease Interceptors (Traps) can be found at the following link :

​

​

 

14. Is it flushable?  

The following items should never be disposed of into the public sewer system:

• Diapers

• Baby wipes

• Cooking oils and grease

• Sanitary napkins, tampons and applicators

• Condoms

• Cleaning wipes, (i.e., Swiffer® wipes or equivalent), shop rags, etc.

• Volatile substances (i.e., gasoline, chemicals, paint, etc.)

• Syringes

• Dental floss

• Small toys

• Plastic bags

• Caps from any containers (toothpaste, shampoo, soda, etc.)

Flushing of these items into the municipal wastewater collection system may cause major blockages in sewer lines (triggering back-ups in the system which may lead to damage in or on your property). These items also cause severe damage to expensive sewer equipment (i.e., grinder pumps) in the wastewater collection system or inside the wastewater treatment facility.

​

15. Why can't I flush "Flushable" wipes?

Although some Baby Wipes and other Wipes state they are flushable on the package, they are not.  They do not break down quick enough and can cause significant problems in the private services and the District's sewer system.  They clog pipes and get caught in pumps.  In 2022 one of the larger pumps at a District's pump station, despite cleaning it monthly, burned out because it became clogged with baby wipes. The pump was replaced at a cost of over $15,000.  Baby wipes that make it to the treatment plant at KSTD also cause significant problems with equipment and many wasted labor hours removing them.   

​

​