1914 proved to be a big year for creating municipal utility infrastructure in Denison. That was the year the City Government decided to install the first collection system that allowed homes and businesses to get rid of their wastewater in a community collection system. The first wastewater (sewer), utility only collected the wastewater. The pipes simply discharged the untreated wastewater into the Boyer River. In 1969, the community responded to the mandate from the State of Iowa to treat their wastewater, and have been doing so ever since. More than one billion gallons of wastewater is treated each year at the treatment works located off of Arrowhead Road. Here are some particulars about how Denison goes about dealing with this important public work. Service CharacteristicsThe Utility will make available, throughout its service area, sewer collection mains, adequate in size to deliver the customer wastewater from their property to the treatment plant.In supplying this service, the utility shall own and maintain the sewer mains, manholes and lift stations. The property owner shall own and maintain the lateral sewer line from the main to the building, and all plumbing and appurtenant equipment.Service ExtensionsIt is the policy of the Board of Trustees of the Denison Municipal Utilities to work with the city of Denison, it's Building Inspector, and Planning and Zoning Commission for orderly and proper construction of sanitary sewer collection facilities in new sub-divisions within the City of Denison.In areas in and around Denison, where development has occurred without the sanitary sewer collection system being extended into the area, the Board of Trustees will consider extending sewer mains at the Utility expense. When considering extending sewer mains the Board will act in the best interest of the community considering such factors as the public health and economic development of the community.When a un-sewered home or business hooks up to the sewer collection main for the first time, they shall pay a hook-up fee to the Utility. The amount of hook-up fee is determined by the Denison Municipal Utilities Board resolution, and City Code Title 6, Chapter 1, Section 14.The Utility maintains, replaces and enhances the municipal sewer collection system as needed.Main extensions will be constructed along existing public roads, streets and wherever practicable.Sewer collection mains will not be constructed outside the incorporated City of Denison without special authorization from the Board of Trustees.Engineering PracticeFacilities of the Utility shall be constructed, installed maintained and operated in accordance with accepted good engineering practices.The Utility shall use and shall require compliance with applicable standards adopted by the following organizations:Department of Natural Resources (DNR) City Code - City of DenisonIn the event of a conflict between the above listed standards, the more restrictive standard shall apply.Customer RelationsCustomer relations for the customers of the sewer Utility are the same as for the electric and water customers. These rules are spelled out in Section five of our policy handbook.The Building Inspector administers the plumbing code and the Planning and Zoning subdivision ordinances as they pertain to the sewer collection system for the City of Denison. In addition, the inspector receives application and hook-up fees for new sewer services and delivers them to the utility.Collection SystemThe sewer collection system in Denison consists of all sewer mains and manholes deeded to the City of Denison, and all lift stations owned by the Utility.The sewer collection system is constructed and maintained in compliance with the standards outlined in the previous section.All sewer mains are cleaned by the Utility at least once each year. Major Utility lift stations are protected by alarms, monitored on a 24-hour basis.When entering a sewer manhole or other area where raw sewage is present, the sewer personnel shall assume the presence of poisonous gas. The sewer personnel shall take all necessary safety precautions to protect themselves and their fellow workers from coming in contact with the sewer gas. All recommended safety equipment shall be provided by the UtilityWaste Water Treatment FacilitiesThe Denison, Iowa, Waste Water Treatment Plant consists of a combination of two treatment systems. The waste water from Denison Foods, American Protein Company, APPA fine Foods and all of the other domestic waste water is brought to the old plant (completed in 1969) which consists of barscreen, communitor, grit chamber, pre-aeration, primary clarifier, trickling filter, trickling filter recycle, final clarifier with effluent discharge to a lift station where it is combined with the industrial wastes of Tyson Fresh Meats, Farmland and potable water treatment lime sludge and pumped to the second treatment system or Joint Treatment System, completed in 1982, which consists of aeration basin (extended air) , two clarifiers in parallel, and filtration with final effluent discharge to either the Boyer River or 44 acres of holding lagoons.Sludges from the trickling filter system are anaerobically digested and disposed of by land application. Sludges from the aeration system are vacuum filtered and applied to farmland.The Treatment Plant is classified a grade IV facility, and as such, a grade IV certified operator is required to have responsible charge of the plant.The operation of Denison's Waste Water Treatment Plant shall be in compliance with the NPDES permit issued by the State.