Sewer Maintenance

The City maintains 208 miles of gravity sanitary sewer lines and 13 pumping stations that transport approximately 9 million gallons of wastewater daily to the two treatment plants.

Wastewater leaves residences and businesses in 4-6 inch diameter sewer services that empty into 8-12 inch diameter sewer mains and branch lines. As more of these branches merge, pipe sizes increase to accept the additional volume of wastewater.

With the many hills and valleys in the Moline area as well as distance to the treatment facilities, sewer lift stations or pumping stations must be employed to “lift” the sewage so that it may continue its gravity flow. These lines and pump stations must be cleaned and maintained on a regular schedule and repaired or replaced when necessary.

In an effort to keep costs to a minimum, the City of Moline practices proactive infrastructure maintenance and replacement to stay ahead of the aging sewer system. Some of these sewers are over 100 years old. Planned replacements and repairs are far less costly than emergency repairs.

Property owners are responsible for maintenance of the sewer lateral from the house to the City main sewer line, which includes removal of tree roots, grease, and stoppages. The City is responsible for structural defects of the sewer service to the property line, but not general maintenance listed above.