Utilities Operations

Responsibilities


The Utility Division is responsible for the design, inspections, operations and maintenance of its sanitary sewer system assets that encompass approximately 106 square miles of services area with approximately 24,000 customer accounts. System assets include the following:
  • 240 miles (approximately 1,267,000 l.f.) of 6- to 24-inch diameter gravity sanitary sewer and approximately 6,600 manholes
  • 42 miles (approximately 221,000 l.f.) of force main
  • 74 County owned and maintained pump stations
  • 9 vacuum station service areas with 77 miles of vacuum sewer piping ranging in size from 4 inches to 10 inches in diameter

​Preventative Maintenance


Preventative Maintenance personnel is responsible for the following:
  • Cleaning of all manholes and mainlines in serviced areas, and cleaning the service lines when needed
  • All mainline and service line backups
  • Performing all pipe patch repairs (to include repairs to mainlines that do not require excavation)
  • Weekly pump station cleaning
  • Completing work orders for areas that require regular maintenance to avoid sewer backups
This is an image of To Flush or Not to Flush Sign

CCTV

The CCTV team televises the service areas to locate defects in the sewer systems that would disrupt service for citizens.  This includes obtaining all information for in-house repair, or contract to repair.

Utilities televises new construction projects as well prior to the County taking over the system.  They perform manhole inspections, and televise sewer lines from previous backups on mainline or service lines to determine cause.  CCTV also provides tap locations when necessary.

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CONSTRUCTION

Construction personnel performs daily repairs on County-owned sanitary sewer lines.  They are responsible for:

  • Installing County clean-outs where one may not exist
  • Resealing manholes to prevent infiltration
  • Installing grinder pumps for the operations of the mechanical systems

In addition, they also:

  • Install vacuum pots for mechanical systems
  • Install all taps for new construction
  • Perform all after-hours emergency repairs to gravity, vacuum, and force main sanitary sewer systems
  • Complete asphalt and concrete repairs
  • Install landscaping following repairs

Consent Order

On September 26, 2007 the County entered into a Special Order by Consent (SOBC) with the Virginia Department of Environmental Equality (DEQ), and several other Hampton Roads localities in an effort to reduce the number of Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) from their respective sanitary sewer collection systems. One of the requirements of the SOBC is to develop a complete and concise Sewer System Evaluation Survey (SSES) Plan to meet the requirements of the Regional Technical Standards (RTS). Utilities is currently performing the following tasks under the Consent Order:

  • Closed Caption Television Inspections
  • Flow Monitoring
  • Manhole Checks and Inspections
  • Night Time Flow Isolation Monitoring
  • Smoke Testing
  • Station and Force Main Inspections

Projects

Each year Utilities performs approximately five million dollars worth of projects to extend sanitary sewer and public water. Funding for these projects is generated from a portion of the County meals tax and through the collection of connection fees.

Strategic Capital Plan

The Utilities Division, Strategic Capital Plan contains detailed information, maps, and schedules pertaining to these and other projects. Copies of the Plan are available at the York County Libraries and at the Public Works Administration Office at 105 Service Drive. The Utilities Operations also performs "in-house" designs for the smaller projects.