Wastewater Home Page
The Wastewater Division responds to our residents' concerns over the following possible types of emergency callout issues:
- sewer blockages
- sewer overflows
- sewer odors
- suspected pipeline breaks
Please call a Public Works customer service representative at 480-503-6400 (Monday through Thursday, 7am-6pm) or the non-emergency Police dispatch number at 480-503-6500 (on Fridays or after hours) and a wastewater representative will be dispatched to service your call.
The Town of Gilbert treats the public sewer system for roaches. Currently, the Town utilizes an insecticide laden form of latex paint that is used to coat the walls of all sewer manholes. Tests show that this paint remains effective for up to two years and has been proven to be far more successful than other forms of roach control.
What can I do to get rid of roaches? Roaches prefer the warm climate found in Arizona, are highly adaptable to insecticides and will eat anything from sweets to paper glue. Roaches are often spotted in tubs because after they gain entrance to the home, they use the drains as a source of drinking water. However, if the drains are allowed to dry out from non-use, the roach may use your dry drainage pipes to gain entry into your home. Here are some preventative steps:
- Cover your drains when not in use. They can dry out and provide a network of entry into your home.
- Run water down your drains at least once a week or pour ½ cup of bleach down drains that are not used often to keep the p-trap (the u-shaped pipe under your sinks and tubs) from drying out.
- Regularly treat the areas inside and outside your homes with commercial or professional strength insecticide treatments.
- Check boxes and cartons brought into your home from storage. A roach can flatten its body to the thickness of a dime in order to enter a tight space.
If you are experiencing a roach infestation in your home or on your property, you may fill out an on-line request for roach inspection. A wastewater representative will inspect the manhole(s) located nearest your property and verify the effectiveness of the pesticide laden paint application. The wastewater representative will then leave a door hanger on your front door advising you of the outcome. For more information, please call 480-503-6400 (Monday through Thursday, 7am-6pm).
What is Industrial Pretreatment?
The National Pretreatment Program is a cooperative effort of federal, state, and local regulatory environmental agencies established to protect water quality. The program is designed to reduce the level of pollutants discharged by industry and other non-domestic wastewater sources into municipal sewer systems, and thereby, reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment through wastewater. The objectives of the program are to protect the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) from pollutants that may interfere with plant operation, to prevent pollutants that may pass through untreated from being introduced into the POTW, and to improve opportunities for the POTW to reuse wastewater and sludges that are generated.
The term "pretreatment" refers to the requirement that non-domestic sources discharging wastewater to POTWs control their discharges, and meet limits established by EPA, the State or local authority on the amount of pollutants allowed to be discharged. The control of the pollutants may necessitate treatment prior to discharge to the POTW (therefore the term "pretreatment"). Limits may be met by the non-domestic source through pollution prevention techniques (product substitution recycle and reuse of materials) or treatment of the wastewater.
What Regulations apply to my business?
- Federal Regulation that applies to Gilbert business owners: Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations, part 403, which establishes National Prohibited Discharge Standards
- Local Regulation that applies to Gilbert business owners: Town of Gilbert Municipal Code Chapter 66, Article VI. (Sec. 66-171-234)
For additional questions you can call the Pre-Treatment Program Coordinator for the Town of Gilbert at 480-503-6463.
Wastewater reuse at the Town of Gilbert Freestone
Park Lake