The municipal water system in St. Paul is supplied by four wells with an average depth of 188 feet. The system, serving the entire city, has a combined pumping capacity of 1,300 gallons per minute, an overhead storage capacity of 250,000 gallons, and an underground storage capacity of 70,000 gallons. The system has a maximum capacity of 1,872,000 gallons per day.
The source of water used by the City of St. Paul is ground water. The water system serving St. Paul underwent a total redesign in the late 1980’s. In 1997, the City began using a well field east of town to provide water to its residents.
The City works directly with the Nebraska Health and Human Services to ensure that quality drinking water is available to its residents. The City is required to continuously test the water for a variety of contaminants. The Annual Water Quality Report including the water test results are available for public inspection. Click the link below to see a copy of the report.
The water rates for the City consist of a base rate of $40.43, plus an additional $1.56 per 1,000 gallons of water used. A guideline to consider is that a one-person household may use 2,000 gallons of water per month. Factors to consider for understanding water usage is whether you are using city water to operate sprinklers, how much laundry is done, how many showers are taken, etc.
If you notice an unusually high amount of water usage in a given month, check whether you have a toilet running, whether you have a leaky faucet, whether your water softener has a stuck valve, think about how often you’ve used your lawn sprinklers, etc.
The City of St. Paul Wastewater Treatment facility handles the wastewater collection, lift stations and the operation of the wastewater treatment plant. The Wastewater Treatment Plant was redesigned in 1988. The treatment plant, a two-cell aerated lagoon system with ultraviolet disinfection, has a daily capacity of 175,000 gallons. After completing the entire treatment cycle, the City of St. Paul WWTP discharges its wastewater into the Loup River.
Unlike other city services, the sanitary sewer system is dependent on compliance from city residents and businesses to operate efficiently before it even reaches the Wastewater Treatment Plant. If you or your neighbor puts inappropriate items down the drain, it can have a negative impact on you or your neighbor’s sewer, or it can create problems for people a block or more away from you.
Sanitary sewer blockages can cause plugged and overflowing toilets, poorly draining sinks and showers, raw sewage backing up through your drain, health hazards and nuisance odors, etc. In extreme cases, inappropriate material may require additional testing and treatment before the wastewater can be released into the river, potentially compromising its ability to function during high demand situations.
Examples of items that should NOT be put down the toilet or any drains are:
Also, be mindful of what you put down your garbage disposal. Some items are just not appropriate for garbage disposals. If you question whether something is appropriate to put down the drain, throw it in the trash instead.
Regular city maintenance involves flushing the sewer lines. City crews will also periodically send a camera through the sewer lines to inspect for damage or to identify and treat potential problem areas. Ensuring that the sewer system continues to run efficiently requires more than City involvement. We appreciate your efforts in protecting the public sanitary sewer system.
