Keeping the Town of Wickenburg's sanitary sewer system flowing continuously is a priority for the Public Services Department. When you use your toilet, sink, shower, washing machine, or dishwasher wastewater leaves your home through pipes that connect to the Town's sewer system.

Unfortunately, putting the wrong things down the drain can harm the pipes and other mechanical parts of the system, causing problems that can range from sewer line backups, to major system failures. 

Flushable

• human waste
• toilet paper

Do Not Flush!

Just because an item is called disposable, or flushable, does not mean it is safe to flush. The above items, as well as many other items, should be placed in garbage cans.

Medications

Medications should be disposed of following FDA guidelines, which are typically spelled out in the patient information that accompanies the prescription. Citizens can also dispose of prescription medications they no longer need by visiting the lobby of the Wickenburg Police Department through its Operation Medicine Cabinet  program.

Fats, Oils, and Grease

Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) also cause sewer maintenance problems. Never pour grease down your sink drain or garbage disposal. These items coat the inside of pipes and the buildup will block sewer lines, which can lead to difficult and costly maintenance problems for property owners. 

What is wastewater?

Wastewater is water that is delivered to homes and businesses that is not consumed and goes down the drain from sinks, bathtubs, washing machines, floor drains, and toilets. This used water includes contaminants such as human waste, food scraps, oil, soap, chemicals, and any foreign item that will fit through the sewer pipes.

Where does it go?

After leaving a residence or building, the Town's wastewater travels through miles of various sized pipes known as the collection system, which delivers it to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. This plant is located on the southeast side of Town. The treatment plant collects and treats approximately 450,000 gallons of wastewater (effluent) per day from Town residents and businesses.

Aerial photo of the wastewater treatment plant.                        

How is wastewater treated?

The wastewater treatment plant is designed to provide secondary treatment using the activated sludge process. The activated sludge process, developed in the early 1900's, is perhaps the most widely used process for reducing the concentration of dissolved, particulate, and colloidal organic pollutants in wastewater. It is an aerobic, biological treatment method that uses metabolic reaction of microorganisms to produce an acceptable effluent quality by removing substances that have oxygen demand. This effluent (the liquid byproduct of the process) is transferred to infiltration basins at the plant site. The bio-solids (sludge), the final product of this process, is then dried and transported to the landfill. 

The primary objective of the wastewater treatment plant operation is to meet the applicable requirements of the regulatory agencies for groundwater protection. These agencies include the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and the Maricopa County Health Department's Environmental Division. In establishing the requirements of wastewater treatment, the regulatory agencies consider the following:

• prevention of disease
• prevention of nuisances
• avoidance of water supply contamination
• elimination of all pollutant discharges to navigable waters
• maintaining clean waters for the propagation and survival of fish and other aquatic life
• protection of waters for personal bathing and recreational use
• preservation of pristine waters for ecosystem protection
• conservation of water

What Not to Flush

The wastewater system is a critical health system for our community. Because of the importance of this system we ask that residents know what items are acceptable to flush down the drain. While some companies advertise "flushable wipes", the wastewater industry, as a whole, does not agree. These products should not be flushed down the drain. The fibers used to produce these wipes do not break down in the same way toilet paper does, but instead remain intact and cause major sewer system blockages in both public and private portions of the collection system. The blockages in the private portions (private property) can result in sewage backing up into homes. The blockages in the public portions of the system result in increased maintenance and replacement costs, which in turn could increase the rate you pay to use this system. Please dispose of the "flushable" wipes in your solid waste receptible.

Watch the video below to see how these wipes are actually affecting our sewer treatment plants.

Other items that should not be flushed down the toilet include, but are not limited to:

The Town of Wickenburg's Water Operations Division is responsible for pumping, storing, testing, distributing, and metering nearly 1.6 million gallons of water per day to area residents. The water supply is obtained from the upper Hassayampa Basin Aquifer, one of the best water sources in Arizona. Five well sites pump water to six water storage tanks, with a total capacity of 4.3 million gallons of water. This water is then distributed to customers through 55.4 miles of piping that is maintained by the Public Works Water Operations maintenance crews.

Since we live in the desert water is one of our most precious and vital resources. We must all do our part to use water wisely and ensure an adequate and safe water supply for future generations. Water conservation will not only help save water, it will also save you money on your utility bill. Visit the Water, Use It Wisely website for a variety of easy water conservation tips that will have minimum impact on your lifestyle.

The Town is proud of the excellent water quality available to customers and works diligently to assure the delivery of safe and dependable drinking water. The water system is operated in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act and the State of Arizona's Drinking Water Rules. The Town meets this responsibility by performing regularly scheduled water testing and maintaining the Town's Cross Connection Control Program (CCCP). A certified tester list is available from the water department.

View the Town's annual Consumer Confidence Reports, which summarizes the results of testing conducted on the Town of Wickenburg's Municipal Water System and the Wickenburg Ranch Water System. These reports are updated in July for the previous calendar year. The reports are available here.