From flush to Fountain Creek

Some people may not want to think about what happens after they flush.

Others may find it comforting to know where Colorado Springs’ wastewater goes.

About 13 percent of it, once treated, irrigates golf courses, medians and parks. The rest is spilled into Fountain Creek.

But before that, it flows beneath the streets of the city in a labyrinth of pipes connecting homes and businesses to the wastewater treatment plant at 703 E. Las Vegas St.

“I like to tell people that it’s like a one-way trip from here to Cleveland, Ohio,” Colorado Springs Utilities spokesman Steve Berry said of the 1,500 miles of pipes.

The drainage from toilets, sinks and bathtubs travels from homes or businesses in 4-inch

pipes that eventually converge into 66-inch pipes.

It is the homeowner’s responsibility to get wastewater to the street, and Utilities recommends that homeowners hire plumbers to clean out their system every two years.

Before the water gets to the treatment plant, things can go wrong, thanks to grease, oil and fat.

“It adheres to the side of the pipe, and before you now it, what was an 8-inch pipe becomes a 1-inch pipe,” Berry said.

When something large blocks the pipes, Utilities workers go through one of the city’s 30,000 manholes to fix the blockage.

With the help of a robotic camera, a worker can easily inspect the pipes.

Although most of the major blockage comes from downed tree branches, workers have discovered odd stuff in the pipes.

“The strangest thing we’ve found was a homeless person living in the pipes a few months ago,” Berry said.

If everything goes well, the wastewater makes it to the treatment plant, which treats an average of 42 million gallons a day.

The plant can treat up to 75 million gallons per day most of the year or up to 15.4 billion gallons a year. The plant sees a daily decrease in its intake about 4 a.m., when most people are sleeping, and its largest increases on Thanksgiving, Christmas and late Saturday mornings.

“On the weekend, we’re lazy, we’re sleeping in, so the peak is around 11,” water treatment manager Curtis Mitchell said.

Once wastewater arrives at the treatment plant, screens are used to separate sand, grit and other solids from the liquid before it goes through a series of treatments.

The sludge from the plant is transported through a pipeline 18 miles to the Solids Handling and Disposal Facilities south of the city at Hanna Ranch and is injected into the ground.

Sewage doesn’t always flow smoothly from toilets to the treatment plant and into Fountain Creek.

In 1999, untreated sewage spilled into Fountain Creek, spurring a $250 million program to prevent spills.

The system now sees an average of 10 spills a year, and Berry says the aim is to keep each spill as contained as possible.

“All of this stuff is prone to fail, just as anything else,” Berry said. “It’s just very visible and a big concern.”

The city will open the J.D. Phillips Water Reclamation Plant on Garden of the Gods Road on July 13.

The $80 million plant will be able to treat up to 20 million gallons a day.

Utilities is planning to open a third treatment plant, in the Jimmy Creek Basin, in 2012.

The facility is expected to cost $100 million and will be able to handle up to 8 million gallons a day.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0184 or sarah.pulliam@gazette.com

SEWER FACTS

- Six hours is the longest time it takes sewage to flows from its source to the treatment plant when the system is functioning properly. This wastewater originates in northeast Colorado Springs, the most distant point from the sewage plant.

- About 87 percent of Colorado Springs’ treated wastewater flows into Fountain Creek; the other 13 percent is sprinkled onto parks, golf courses and medians.

- The wastewater is propelled by gravity and by 14 pumps throughout the system.

- Up to 15.4 billion gallons of wastewater a year go through the current plant.

- 98 percent of sewage system backups are caused by grease or tree roots.

- The system includes about 1,500 miles of pipes beneath the city, with 30 to 35 miles added each year.

CAN’T FLUSH THIS

Here what you shouldn’t put down your drain:

- Paper towels

- Diapers

- Sanitary napkins

- Grease from cooking

- Oil

- Paint

- Kitty litter

Source: City of Colorado Springs