Statement of Combined Sewer System

The City of Clyde has a Combined Sewer System (CSS). It was originally designed to carry Sanitary Sewage (consisting of domestic, commercial, and industrial wastewater) and stormwater (surface drainage from rainfall and snow melt) in a single pipe to a treatment facility. During dry weather, CSSs convey domestic, commercial, and industrial wastewater. In periods of rainfall or snowmelt, total wastewater flow may exceed the capacity of the CSS'S. When this occurs, the CSS was designed to overflow directly to surface water bodies. In Clyde, there were three CSOs that flowed into Raccoon Creek. These overflows, called combined sewer overflows (CSOs) may have been a source of water pollution in our community.

As part of the sanitary/storm sewer separation projects here, these CSOs have been permanently closed and sealed. This created a hydraulic overload on the entire collection and treatment systems. Due to the need to alleviate hydraulic stress on these systems, a CSO screening facility was constructed. When it becomes necessary the CSO facility provides the collection system with hydraulic relief while at the same time providing protection to the community and environment by screening out potentially harmful debris.

Because CSOs contain untreated domestic, commercial, and industrial wastes, as well as surface runoff, many different types of contaminants may be present: pathogens, suspended solids, nutrients, toxins, and floatable matter. CSOs have been shown to be a major contributor to use impairment and aesthetic degradation of Raccoon Creek and may contribute to health effects when the population has contact with this water after a period of overflow or discharge.

On 26 April 1893, the State of Ohio Board of Health granted the City of Clyde permission to discharge wastewater into Raccoon Creek, but a great many things have changed since then. Testing by Health Departments and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized that this discharge was a source of pollution to the State's surface waters. The City of Clyde built its first Wastewater Treatment Lagoons early in the 1900s as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The City had grown and a new treatment plant was constructed in 1946. Additional capacity was needed and that plant was expanded numerous times in the 1950s, and in 1972. The old plant was torn down in 1985 and the present plant was constructed. The old plant could only process 1.5 million gallons of wastewater per day (MGD); the present plant was designed to process 4.9 MGD and has recently processed as much as 7.2 MGD.

As the City rebuilds existing streets and new streets are added, the storm and sanitary sewer systems are separated. The stormwater flows to the Creek and the Sanitary wastewater now flows to the treatment plant. When the additional flow creates hydraulic overloads on the system the CSO unit activates to relieve this stress. The City is taking a very proactive approach in continuing the separation process and this will continue far into the future. Major construction is planned for this year, the sewer separation began when the downtown street improvements took place.

If there would be questions or comments please call the Wastewater Treatment plant at 547-9407 during the business hours of 7 am and 4 pm.