Ftr Sewer

Sewer & Stormwater

Most people don't think about sewer or stormwater maintenance too often, and that's the way we prefer it – we think about them so you don’t have to!

Sanity and Stormwater sewer systems are separate and distinct – each with different functions, destinations, and treatment processes to protect public health and the environment.   

Our job here at the City is to maintain and keep both of Tualatin’s systems running at maximum capacity and to prevent major backup and overflow issues that would certainly impact your day. This involves a lot of preventative maintenance, routinely cleaning of the systems, and planning upgrades and improvements to better serve our growing city. 

What is the Sanitary Sewer?

Tualatin’s sanitary sewer system collects sewage from homes and buildings and transports it to the award winning and state-of-the-art Durham Waste Water Recovery Facility, which is operated by Clean Water Services.  The wastewater is extensively treated to remove solids, pathogens, and other pollutants before being either discharged to the Tualatin River (the returned water is so clean, it improves the river’s water quality!) or reused for irrigation, agricultural, or industrial purposes (this system is often referred to as “purple pipe”).  

The sanitary sewer system is maintained on a periodic schedule that includes jetting of mainlines with high pressured water, and video inspection is performed to identify any potential problems and verify that all lines are clean and working properly.  

Tualatin’s sanitary sewer system includes: 

  • 90+ miles of sewer mains 
  • 6,440+ sewer connections 
  • 2,300+ sewer manholes.  
  • 11 sewer lift stations within the City, maintained by Clean Water Services  

Sanitary Sewer FAQs

Stay away from the liquid and call the Public Works Department immediately at 503-691-3091. If no one is available, contact 503-629-0111.

No.  Dumping grease down your house drain will cause grease buildup in your drain lines.  Some people believe that if you mix hot water with the grease it will not clog your lines.  While this practice may not clog the lines in your immediate house, by the time the grease gets to your lateral, it will have cooled enough to build up.  Keep in mind, you are responsible for the maintenance of your lateral and calling out a plumber for this type of maintenance and it can be very expensive. 

Wastewater collect in the City of Tualatin flows to a sewer lift station within the City and is then pumped to a sewer treatment plant in Durham that is operated by Clean Water Services. 

No.  Flushing plastic items and other non-biodegradable materials, such as many brands of baby wipes down the toilet causes problems in sewer lines.  The material will hang up in your line and can cause blockages.  If the material reaches the treatment plant it will cause problems at the treatment facilities as well.

No. Oil causes the filtration system at the treatment plant to fail and the filtration system must be cleaned and replaced, causing thousands of dollars in damage. 

What is the Stormwater Sewer?

Stormwater systems are crucial for managing precipitation in urban areas.  When it rains, water flows over hard surfaces like roads and rooftops instead of soaking into the ground – this is called runoff.  This runoff can pick up pollutants—like oil, litter, and chemicals—that can harm our waterways and wildlife.  

To prevent flooding, parking lots and streets are often lined with storm drains to quickly move stormwater off the pavement. Because storm drains have underground pipes that channel the stormwater directly to a nearby water body, whatever flows down a storm drain comes out in the nearest waterway untreated. That’s why we have Water Quality Facilities all over the Tualatin and why we have a Stormwater crew! We inspect and clean lines, catch basins, and water quality facilities to keep the water flowing.  

Tualatin’s stormwater sewer system includes:

90+ miles of stormwater pipe

Underground pipes that carry runoff water to water quality facilities and waterways. 

12 drainage basins

A land area where all water, from precipitation and groundwater, flows downhill to a common waterway outlet.

2,800+ sump catch basins

A drainage structure with a grate on top that collects surface water runoff. Sump catch basins catch debris and prevents it from clogging the rest of the system.  

100+ public water quality facilities

Structures (fenced in areas full of plants) designed to treat stormwater runoff or wastewater to improve its quality by removing pollutants before it is discharged into the environment.

Stormwater FAQs