Durham’s 2021 Annual Sewer Report Now Available to the Public

Latest Report Reveals 20-year low in Sewer Spill Volume

DURHAM, N.C. – Do you ever wonder what happens once you flush the toilet? Depending on where you live in Durham, your waste could flow to either the City’s North or South Durham Water Reclamation Facilities or to the County’s Triangle Wastewater Treatment Plant. Each year, the City of Durham and other sewer service providers across the state prepare a report outlining wastewater treatment processes, compliance with permit conditions, and maintenance activities in the collection system. Also included is a list of reportable sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) that have occurred during the most recent fiscal year. This year marks a 20-year low in sewer spill volume for the Department of Water Management (DWM).

“The 20-year low in sewer spill volume is representative of the work our Department has implemented to proactively clean out Durham’s sewer lines,” said DWM Director Don Greeley. “It also speaks to the outreach our team has done the last few years—particularly during the pandemic—to encourage our customers to avoid using non-woven wipes, or so-called flushable wipes, that need to be kept out of our sewer system, as well as fats, oils, and greases, or FOGs. We’re always working to improve, but these are really positive results.”

This report is available to all customers and is submitted to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The latest report is now available at FY 2020-2021 Annual Sewer System Report (PDF) (durhamnc.gov). Customers may also contact Water Management staff at 919-560-4381 for a hard copy or more information.

To view Durham County’s annual wastewater treatment plant report, visit http://www.dconc.gov.

About the Department of Water Management

The Department of Water Management is responsible for the operation and maintenance of Durham's water supply, water treatment and water reclamation (wastewater treatment) facilities, the collection and distribution systems (including meter reading), and customer billing services. The department has a wide variety of support divisions and programs to maintain the existing infrastructure that provide these integral services, and strives to be a responsible steward of the City’s physical assets. For information, follow the department on Facebook at Durham Saves Water and on Twitter at @DurhamWater.

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