Water and Sewer Utilities
The City of Henderson Public Works Department (Water Distribution, Sewer Collection, and Sewer Collection I&I Division) provides water and sewer services for the customers with potable water from the Kerr Lake Regional Water System on Flemingtown Road and wastewater treated at the Henderson Nutbush Water Reclamation Facility located on NC Highway 39, North.
The Public Works Division is located in the Operations and Service Center at 900 South Beckford Drive is open from 7:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Monday thru Friday.
Phone number: 252-431-6030
Fax: 252-431-0124.
In Case of a Water or Sewer Emergency:
Please Call 911 or 252-492-0202.
The Utilities Division maintains approximately 10,000 water /sewer taps with 195 miles of water and 165 miles of sewer line. The division has 21 full time employees and is made up of three divisions. These consisting of Water Distribution and Sewer Collections and Sewer Collections I&I (Inflow and Infiltration).
Water Distribution
The Water Distribution Division is responsible for maintenance of the City of Henderson distribution lines and also those transmission lines that serve Oxford, Warren County, and Franklin County. These lines range in size from ¾” upwards to 36” in diameter. This Division’s jurisdiction basically extends from Kerr Lake down US #1 to the Tar River Bridge then we maintain from Soul City to the City of Oxford and everything in between. We maintain some 200 miles of water line that supplies water service and fire protection to nearly 10,000 customers. The water lines are made up of a variety of different materials including ductile iron, cast iron, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), copper, asbestos/concrete(AC), polybutylene and galvanized metal. Along with the previously mentioned, this division must repair and/or replace over 600 fire hydrants and 10,000 water meters.
To supply water to all the customers, the City of Henderson has a fresh water storage capacity of 1,500,000 gallons stored in elevated tanks. Our oldest storage tank, constructed in 1953 is located near the intersection of Williams Street and Chavasse Avenue. The newest tank, constructed in 1996 is located along side of US #1 near Bearpond Road.
The Water Distribution Division is operated on a yearly budget prepared by City Staff and presented to the City Council for approval. Budget figures are based on the previous years expenditures, and any Capital Improvements which can be funded within the fiscal year.
The Water Distribution Division has personnel on call round the clock with the ability to respond to any emergency situation to make needed repairs. Preplanned tasks and regular preventative maintenance are performed during normal business hours, five days a week, 8+ hours daily. After hours calls are handled by rotating personnel assigned to carry a call-back pager. Emergency calls are directed to the 911 Center at the Vance County Emergency Operations Center. Pertinent information is then given to our Departmental Personnel with the assistance of an alpha-numeric paging system. If the first responding employee needs assistance other personnel are called/paged to come in to help alleviate the incident. The severity of the situation dictates if the Director of Utility Operations is notified or requested to respond to the incident.
Water Department Personnel must be competent, dependable, and able to work in adverse conditions. These same personnel are also subject to multiple training seminars, which promote safety, job knowledge and increased job performance
Weekly safety meetings are held to discuss topics ranging from bloodborne pathogens, trench/ditch safety, equipment use, CPR, etc. The employees are also required to attend an annual school sponsored by the AWWA to obtain certifications established by the State of North Carolina. The employees are also exposed to various new products by industry vendors giving free presentations to demonstrate their products. Each year funding is established in the Budget to provide employees with the opportunity to participate in various schools related to water applications.
The Water Distribution Division continues to provide a vital service to the community. Keeping the water system operating efficiently guarantees water is available for our fire fighters, hospitals, businesses and all residents connected to the system.
Sewer Collections
The Sewer Collections Division plays just as vital a role in the day to day operations of the City of Henderson as the Water Distribution Division. Simply stated, the water used, in whatever capacity, now has to be collected through a network of sewer lines that will carry the sewer water to the Wastewater Treatment Plant for processing. To accomplish this task there are 120+ miles of sewer lines ranging in size from 4” to 42”, with force mains ranging from 2” to 20” in diameter.
The Sewer Collections Division is responsible for making new taps, replacement taps and economically maintaining all sanitary sewer flows. Obstructions caused by grease collections, roots, bulk items put into the system, and even vandalism occur within the lines causing the sewer to back up in the mains. When this happens, work forces have to flush out the lines using the jet vac truck, a high pressure vacuum and flushing apparatus. Occasionally, the blockages are cleared with the aid of the sewer-rodding machine, steel cable, or pressurized blower. We have a preventative maintenance program, which identifies problem areas and causes the Division to routinely check the status of the lines.
Any release of untreated sanitary sewer water exceeding 1,000 gallons must be reported to the State Division of Environment and Natural Resources. Any spill, regardless of amount, that reaches any surface water or surface water conveyance, must be reported to the same division. Spills in excess of 10,000 gallons must be published to the local media and spills in excess of 100,000 gallons must be posted in adjoining counties through which the water might travel. These spills must be reported within 24 hours and a written report must be delivered within 5 days of the incident. Media reports must be submitted within 48 hours of the incident and proof of publication provided with the written report. The detailed report must indicate what caused the spill, clean-up performed and what action will be taken to prevent such an incident from happening in the future.
City crews visually inspect manholes within the sewer system annually. Annual inspections must also be performed on all high priority lines, aerial lines and lines that are not visible by regular drive by routes. The easements or right-of-ways for sewer lines that pass through remote wooded area must also remain mowed, free of obstructions from trees, and accessible to motorized traffic.
As with other Divisions, the Sewer Collection Division’s operations are set on a separate budget based on previous years budget expenditures.
I & I (Infiltration and Inflow)
I & I identification and corrections is an active program within the Sewer Division. This Division identifies and checks manholes and sewerlines to identify stromwater that may be entering the sanitery sewer system.
Special monies have been appropriated in previous Sewer Collection budgets to contract the televiewing of sewer lines to determine faulty section of sewer line and make repairs where excess rain water has been entering the sewer system.
The City utilizes a truck with CCTV Equipment to video the inside of the sewer lines and to make line repairs as necessary. The sewer mains are viewed and the conditions of the pipe recorded looking for root intrusion, holes and cracks in the pipe and other points where storm water may be entering the system..
The City has also contracted Dukes Root Control to do a certain amount of footage a year with a foaming soloution to reduce root growth and overflows.
Problems of broken pipe, mis-aligned joints and etc., which allow infiltration into the lines will be replaced or repaired by City crews when possible. However, some repairs will require a Utility Contractor when the job exceeds the City capabilities.
Records of viewing the lines are put onto a computer program, that will allow, at any time, reports to be produced of problems between manholes by areas, streets or sections. Information, such as the type problem, amount of inflow or infiltration, extent of damage to the pipe and the type of surface cover is also entered onto the program.
Water Tap Fees:
3/4”
1”
Sewer Tap Fees:
4″
6″
The Public Works Division is located in the Operations and Service Center at 900 South Beckford Drive is open from 7:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Monday thru Friday.
Phone number: 252-431-6030
Fax: 252-431-0124.
In Case of a Water or Sewer Emergency:
Please Call 911 or 252-492-0202.
The Utilities Division maintains approximately 10,000 water /sewer taps with 195 miles of water and 165 miles of sewer line. The division has 21 full time employees and is made up of three divisions. These consisting of Water Distribution and Sewer Collections and Sewer Collections I&I (Inflow and Infiltration).
Water Distribution
The Water Distribution Division is responsible for maintenance of the City of Henderson distribution lines and also those transmission lines that serve Oxford, Warren County, and Franklin County. These lines range in size from ¾” upwards to 36” in diameter. This Division’s jurisdiction basically extends from Kerr Lake down US #1 to the Tar River Bridge then we maintain from Soul City to the City of Oxford and everything in between. We maintain some 200 miles of water line that supplies water service and fire protection to nearly 10,000 customers. The water lines are made up of a variety of different materials including ductile iron, cast iron, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), copper, asbestos/concrete(AC), polybutylene and galvanized metal. Along with the previously mentioned, this division must repair and/or replace over 600 fire hydrants and 10,000 water meters.
To supply water to all the customers, the City of Henderson has a fresh water storage capacity of 1,500,000 gallons stored in elevated tanks. Our oldest storage tank, constructed in 1953 is located near the intersection of Williams Street and Chavasse Avenue. The newest tank, constructed in 1996 is located along side of US #1 near Bearpond Road.
The Water Distribution Division is operated on a yearly budget prepared by City Staff and presented to the City Council for approval. Budget figures are based on the previous years expenditures, and any Capital Improvements which can be funded within the fiscal year.
The Water Distribution Division has personnel on call round the clock with the ability to respond to any emergency situation to make needed repairs. Preplanned tasks and regular preventative maintenance are performed during normal business hours, five days a week, 8+ hours daily. After hours calls are handled by rotating personnel assigned to carry a call-back pager. Emergency calls are directed to the 911 Center at the Vance County Emergency Operations Center. Pertinent information is then given to our Departmental Personnel with the assistance of an alpha-numeric paging system. If the first responding employee needs assistance other personnel are called/paged to come in to help alleviate the incident. The severity of the situation dictates if the Director of Utility Operations is notified or requested to respond to the incident.
Water Department Personnel must be competent, dependable, and able to work in adverse conditions. These same personnel are also subject to multiple training seminars, which promote safety, job knowledge and increased job performance
Weekly safety meetings are held to discuss topics ranging from bloodborne pathogens, trench/ditch safety, equipment use, CPR, etc. The employees are also required to attend an annual school sponsored by the AWWA to obtain certifications established by the State of North Carolina. The employees are also exposed to various new products by industry vendors giving free presentations to demonstrate their products. Each year funding is established in the Budget to provide employees with the opportunity to participate in various schools related to water applications.
The Water Distribution Division continues to provide a vital service to the community. Keeping the water system operating efficiently guarantees water is available for our fire fighters, hospitals, businesses and all residents connected to the system.
Sewer Collections
The Sewer Collections Division plays just as vital a role in the day to day operations of the City of Henderson as the Water Distribution Division. Simply stated, the water used, in whatever capacity, now has to be collected through a network of sewer lines that will carry the sewer water to the Wastewater Treatment Plant for processing. To accomplish this task there are 120+ miles of sewer lines ranging in size from 4” to 42”, with force mains ranging from 2” to 20” in diameter.
The Sewer Collections Division is responsible for making new taps, replacement taps and economically maintaining all sanitary sewer flows. Obstructions caused by grease collections, roots, bulk items put into the system, and even vandalism occur within the lines causing the sewer to back up in the mains. When this happens, work forces have to flush out the lines using the jet vac truck, a high pressure vacuum and flushing apparatus. Occasionally, the blockages are cleared with the aid of the sewer-rodding machine, steel cable, or pressurized blower. We have a preventative maintenance program, which identifies problem areas and causes the Division to routinely check the status of the lines.
Any release of untreated sanitary sewer water exceeding 1,000 gallons must be reported to the State Division of Environment and Natural Resources. Any spill, regardless of amount, that reaches any surface water or surface water conveyance, must be reported to the same division. Spills in excess of 10,000 gallons must be published to the local media and spills in excess of 100,000 gallons must be posted in adjoining counties through which the water might travel. These spills must be reported within 24 hours and a written report must be delivered within 5 days of the incident. Media reports must be submitted within 48 hours of the incident and proof of publication provided with the written report. The detailed report must indicate what caused the spill, clean-up performed and what action will be taken to prevent such an incident from happening in the future.
City crews visually inspect manholes within the sewer system annually. Annual inspections must also be performed on all high priority lines, aerial lines and lines that are not visible by regular drive by routes. The easements or right-of-ways for sewer lines that pass through remote wooded area must also remain mowed, free of obstructions from trees, and accessible to motorized traffic.
As with other Divisions, the Sewer Collection Division’s operations are set on a separate budget based on previous years budget expenditures.
I & I (Infiltration and Inflow)
I & I identification and corrections is an active program within the Sewer Division. This Division identifies and checks manholes and sewerlines to identify stromwater that may be entering the sanitery sewer system.
Special monies have been appropriated in previous Sewer Collection budgets to contract the televiewing of sewer lines to determine faulty section of sewer line and make repairs where excess rain water has been entering the sewer system.
The City utilizes a truck with CCTV Equipment to video the inside of the sewer lines and to make line repairs as necessary. The sewer mains are viewed and the conditions of the pipe recorded looking for root intrusion, holes and cracks in the pipe and other points where storm water may be entering the system..
The City has also contracted Dukes Root Control to do a certain amount of footage a year with a foaming soloution to reduce root growth and overflows.
Problems of broken pipe, mis-aligned joints and etc., which allow infiltration into the lines will be replaced or repaired by City crews when possible. However, some repairs will require a Utility Contractor when the job exceeds the City capabilities.
Records of viewing the lines are put onto a computer program, that will allow, at any time, reports to be produced of problems between manholes by areas, streets or sections. Information, such as the type problem, amount of inflow or infiltration, extent of damage to the pipe and the type of surface cover is also entered onto the program.
Water Tap Fees:
3/4”
1”
Sewer Tap Fees:
4″
6″
Bulk Water is sold at Operations Center.