Notice to Customers:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging all Americans to only flush toilet paper, not disinfecting wipes or other non-flushable items that should be disposed of in the trash. Flushing only toilet paper helps ensure that the toilets, plumbing, sewer systems and septic systems will continue working properly to safely manage our nation’s wastewater. While EPA encourages disinfecting your environment to prevent the spread of COVID-19, never flush disinfecting wipes or other non-flushable items. These easy steps will keep surfaces disinfected and wastewater management systems working for all Americans.

Preventable toilet and sewer backups can pose a threat to human health and present an extra challenge to our water utilities and their workforce. Flushing anything other than toilet paper, including disinfecting wipes, can damage internal plumbing, local sewer systems and septic systems. Fixing these backups is costly and takes time and resources away from ensuring that wastewater management systems are otherwise working properly. EPA thanks wastewater utilities and their workforce for their courageous efforts at a time when resources may be stretched thin. Having fully operational wastewater services is critical to containing COVID-19 and protecting Americans from other public health risks. Our nation’s wastewater employees are everyday heroes who are on the frontline of protecting human health and the environment every single day.

For more information, see https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus.

Johnson County Wastewater has been a long-time member of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). NACWA is a national organization that represents the wastewater treatment industry for legislative, regulatory, and legal advocacy. Each year, NACWA recognizes member agencies for excellence in permit compliance through three different award categories, which include a platinum award, a gold award, and a silver award. The Platinum awards recognize facilities with a consistent record of full compliance for a consecutive five-year period. Gold awards are presented to facilities with no permit violations for the entire calendar year. And Silver awards are presented to facilities with no more than five violations per the calendar year.

In 2018, Johnson County Wastewater had a 99.98 percent compliance rate regarding National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) limits. Of a possible 3,567 violations, the department recorded only six violations for the entire year. JCW received recognition for all treatment plants as follows: Blue River Main Wastewater Treatment Facility received the Platinum 13 (recognizing it for 13 years of 100% compliance), Mill Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility received the Platinum 12 (recognizing it for 12 years of 100% compliance), New Century AirCenter Wastewater Treatment Facility received the Platinum 7 (recognizing it for seven years of 100% compliance), Douglas L. Smith Middle Basin Wastewater Treatment Facility received the Platinum 5 (recognizing it for five years of 100% compliance), and the Myron K. Nelson and Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment Facilities received the Silver Award (5 or less violations). These awards and recognition on the national level are a tribute to the dedicated staff at each facility who work hard to achieve compliance with the regulations and safely return clean water back to Johnson County’s waterways.