Bypass Reports

The Sewer System
A sanitary sewer system is a wastewater collection system that is specifically designed to collect and convey only sanitary wastewater (domestic sewage from homes, as well as, industrial and commercial wastewater). Storm water is conveyed through a separate set of pipes.

Overflows
Some Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) occur when collection system capacity is exceeded because of wet weather (rain water or snow melt). During dry weather, normal flow may be blocked for any of several reasons, and mechanical failures may prevent the system from operating properly.

Report an Event
When a system experiences an SSO event, the owner must report that event to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) within 24 hours of the event. Treatment plant bypasses, which are releases of untreated or partially treated wastewater occurring at a wastewater treatment plant, must also be reported to IDEM within 24 hours.

Event Reports
The following is a summary of those sanitary overflow and wastewater treatment plant bypass events reported to IDEM in Hamilton County. This list does not include precipitation-related Combined Sewer Overflow releases (CSOs) from authorized CSO outfalls, which are reported monthly. Visit the IDEM website to view the most recent Sewer Overflow/Bypass Reports.

Bypass Reports