Sanitary Sewer System - How It Works

Waste water passes from your drain system to the sanitary sewer system through lateral sewer lines from your home or business.

A total of 263 miles of sewer main carries wastewater from homes and businesses in Coon Rapids. Trees planted on top of or near your sewer line can cause potential damage and blockage when roots grow downward and penetrate the sewer piping. It is best to keep newly planted trees away from areas known to contain your sewer system piping.

Sewer mains carry wastewater, by gravity, to lift stations located throughout Coon Rapids where the wastewater is collected then "lifted or pumped" into larger sewer lines. These lift stations are inspected daily for proper operation. The Utility Division maintains 16 sewer lift stations throughout the City.

Wastewater eventually ends up at the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant in St. Paul where it is filtered and returned to the Mississippi River.

The Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant located on the Mississippi River in St. Paul, is the largest wastewater treatment facility in Minnesota. When it opened in 1938, it was the first plant in a metropolitan area on the Mississippi River. Today it is among the nation's largest, averaging 215 million gallons of wastewater every day from 62 communities (including a population of 1.8 million people) and 800 industries.