Table of Contents
- What is sludge?
- What are the hours I can call?
- I have water backing up into my home from my sewer drains. What should I do?
- I am digging on my property. Can you tell me where the sewer line from my house to the District’s is located?
- Where is your plant located?
- I have received my tax bill and I notice that I’m being taxed for the Sanitary District, but my house has a septic tank. Why am I being taxed when I’m not using your facility?
- Is the Sanitary District of Decatur actually a part of the City of Decatur?
- Who do I contact to complain about a foul odor near my home?
- Does my business need some sort of a permit to discharge to the Sanitary District of Decatur?
- How do I get a copy of the Sanitary District of Decatur Pretreatment Ordinance?
- Are you the water department or do you pick up garbage?
- Do you offer credits for filling Swimming Pools or other outdoor usage?
- Where can I get forms?
- I have paint, household chemicals and cleaners that I need to dispose of, what are the best ways to handle this?
What is sludge?
Sludge is the nutrient-rich organic product of wastewater treatment. The variety of materials in the wastewater determines the actual composition of the sludge and can include domestic wastes, industrial discharges, chemicals in the water supply, and stormwater. At the treatment plant, wastewater if first separated into settled solids or sludge, and liquid. Various treatment processes are used to stabilize the sludge, destroy harmful bacteria, and reduce odor. The processes produce a myriad of products. These products can take the form of dry powder, pellets, slurry or liquid and bear little resemblance to the sludge from which they were derived.
What are the hours I can call?
You may call the District 24 hours a day, at 217-422-6931. Employees are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and will answer your call. You should keep in mind that, outside normal daily working hours 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, there may be an additional delay to call a crew to respond to your call for service. We now have an automated system.
I have water backing up into my home from my sewer drains. What should I do?
Very few home sewer lines are connected directly to District sewers. The vast majority of home lines are connected to the City of Decatur, Village of Mt. Zion or Village of Forsyth sewer lines which eventually connect to the District lines. If the problem is in a municipal sewer line, your neighbors may also be having problems. You might want to check with them so you can report the extent of the problem. If the problem is in a municipal sewer line, you will need to contact City of Decatur Streets and Sewers at 217-875-4820, Village of Mt. Zion Streets and Water at 217-864-4811 or the Village of Forsyth Village Hall at 217-877-9445. During non-business hours Decatur residents can call the Decatur Police Department at 217-424-2711, and Mt. Zion and Forsyth residents can call the Sheriff’s Department at 217-424-1311.
The chances are very good that your problem is caused by tree roots or other blockage in the sewer line that runs from the street to your house. If that is the case, you will need a private sewer service.
I am digging on my property. Can you tell me where the sewer line from my house to the District’s is located?
In most cases, the District does not know where the sewer line is located on private property.
The homeowner should be aware that Illinois requires utility notification before excavation occurs. Call J.U.L.I.E. (Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators) forty-eight (48) hours before you dig. This is to verify location of underground utilities in the area. The service is provided to you at no charge. When calling J.U.L.I.E at 1-800-892-0123, the following information about the proposed work location will be requested: county, township, section number, and quarter section. This information can be obtained from the legal description on your plat of survey.
Where is your plant located?
Our plant is located at 501 Dipper Lane, Decatur, IL. It is just off of West Main St.
I have received my tax bill and I notice that I’m being taxed for the Sanitary District, but my house has a septic tank. Why am I being taxed when I’m not using your facility?
The Sanitary District was established in 1917 and the boundary was set then as all of Decatur Township. All property in the Decatur Township is automatically taxed whether it uses the facilities of the Sanitary District or not.
Is the Sanitary District of Decatur actually a part of the City of Decatur?
No. The Sanitary District is a separate entity controlled by its own board of trustees who are appointed by the Macon County Board.
Who do I contact to complain about a foul odor near my home?
Call an operator at the District. They will take the information log it and send it on to a person that can help.
Does my business need some sort of a permit to discharge to the Sanitary District of Decatur?
If your business is considered to be a significant industrial user as defined by the Sanitary District of Decatur Pretreatment Ordinance, then your industry is required to have a wastewater discharge permit in order to discharge to the District.
How do I get a copy of the Sanitary District of Decatur Pretreatment Ordinance?
You can call or write to the Sanitary District of Decatur Pretreatment Coordinator and request a copy, which is available for the cost of the photocopying it is 21 pages at 20 cents per page. Another way is to go to our Ordinance page on this site.
Are you the Water Department or do you pick up garbage?
No, we are not part of the water department and we do not pick up garbage. We treat waste water from the sewers. The Water Department’s number is 217-424-2841. The Central Garbage number is 217-963-2314.
Do you offer credits for filling swimming pools or other outdoor uses.
The Sanitary District did offer swimming pool credits in the past but effective November 1, 2017 the program was discontinued. Residents wishing to avoid Sanitary District user fees for outside water usage can have a seconded water meter installed by a licensed plumber. None of the usage on the outdoor meter would be charged user fees for Sanitary District or municipal sewer service.
Where can I get forms?
Go to our Forms page. It has forms for Pretreatment, Annexation to the District, and complaint forms.
I have paint, household chemicals and cleaners that I need to dispose of, what are the best ways to handle this?
Macon County, Illinois has a website with information of when where and how to dispose of these and similar items. The website can be found HERE.