The Lee's Summit sanitary sewer system is designed to carry wastewater/sanitary sewer from approved drains (sinks, toilets, showers, etc.) in residences, businesses, and industries throughout the City to the Little Blue Valley Sewer District for treatment. The system includes all pipes, manholes, pumping stations, excess flow holding basins, etc., in the system, up to the point where the customer's private sewer lateral connects to the public system.
The sanitary sewer system is constantly evolving to accommodate the removal of wastewater from existing and new development to provide a healthier environment and better quality of life. While making strategic investments in our water and sewer infrastructure and services the Utility has maintained some of the lowest water and sewer rates in the metropolitan area. See how Lee’s Summits rates compare to our neighbors.
The Lee's Summit sanitary sewer system conveys 4 billion gallons of sewage for treatment each year.
Sanitary Sewer Versus Storm Sewer
The sanitary sewer system is not the same as the storm sewer system. Only approved drains, protected from storm and ground water, should drain to the sanitary sewer system. The sanitary sewer system is designed with the appropriate sized pipes to handle the removal of wastewater only; it does not have the capacity to handle additional water from storm and ground water sources.
The storm sewer is a separate system of pipes and channels; it is designed to carry storm and ground water from streets, parking lots, roofs, driveways, sidewalks, etc., directly to natural drainage features such as creeks, rivers and/or detention basins. The storm sewer system is designed with much larger capacity pipes and drainage features to handle large volumes of water from rain, snow melt and ground water sources. Storm and ground water is clear water that does not need treatment before entering a natural drainage feature.
See the Inflow & Infiltration page for information on what happens when storm and/or ground water enters the sanitary sewer system.
The Sanitary Sewer System Includes:
- More than 500 miles of public sewer mains
- 11,000 manholes
- 33 pumping and lift stations
- 33,557 sewer accounts
Inspections
- TV Inspection: Every line is inspected and recorded on a 10 year cycle. Each year condition assessments are made on 50 miles of mains to inspect and prioritize for rehabilitation and replacement.
- Smoke-testing for Inflow and Infiltration defects
- 300 commercial grease traps are inspected annually
Maintenance
- Clean (Jet) approximately 100 miles of sewer mains per year
- All clay tile pipe is jetted on a 3 year cycle
- PVC pipe is jetted on a 5 year cycle
- Mechanical root removal
- Make repairs to any defects
- Respond to sewer blockages and overflows as emergencies
Rehabilitation & Replacement
- Prioritize lines for replacement and rehabilitation
- Community Sewer Line Rehabilitation Project: More than 30 miles of sewer lines have been rehabilitated through a non-invasive process called Cured in Place Pipe (CIPP). Another 7.5 miles is scheduled for rehabilitation in 2018. For more about the CIPP and the sewer repair process see the Sewer Repair Process FAQs page under System Improvements.
- Replacing 6 inch mains with 8 inch mains for better flow
- Upsize and rehabilitate 5,385 feet of large diameter line in Cedar Creek Sanitary Sewer Interceptor.