Wastewater, Stormwater and Sewers
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The community of Ottumwa generates a number of types of wastewater that are dealt with in two different ways.
Household wastewater consists of liquids that go down the drain from our sinks, toilets and bathtubs. This wastewater goes from your home into the sewer system for delivery to the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) for treatement before being returned to the river.
Storm Runoff water is water that runs off the earth's surface (like your yard, streets and parking lots) and CAN be sent directly back to recieving waters like creeks or the Des Moines River. The most common forms of runoff are rain and melting snow. The City is working on a number of ways to control and manage stormwater.
At the time when Ottumwa was being built, it was not uncommon to combine both of these flows, household wastewater and storm runoff, in one sewer pipe and to treat it all at the treatment facility. This creates a number of problems, the first being that the Water Pollution Control Facility becomes overwhelmed when heavy rains hit our community. The second problem is that when these heavy flows come, like after a heavy rain, the sewer system itself is not designed to carry that much flow. The result is that the system discharges or overflows into a creek or river. This is called a Combined Sewer Overflow.