Dixon Wastewater Treatment Facilities Department - Underground Since 1930

The City of Dixon Wastewater Treatment Facilities Department operates and maintains the complex treatment system for wastewater in the City of Dixon and the surrounding area.  The most visible part of this system is the wastewater treatment facility located at 2600 West Third Street.  This treatment facility was built in 2000 and is fully compliant with state and federal regulations.  The treatment site was built using a 20-year design with an assumed population of 20,050 in Year 2020.  The incoming flow capacity is 32.6 million gallons per day and the outgoing peak instantaneous flow is 18 million gallons per day and 12,500 gallons per minute.  The average 20-year design outgoing flow is 4.5 millions gallons per day and 3,125 gallons per minute.

The treatment plant treats waste from residential, commercial, and industrial sources.  When a toilet is flushed, a shower is running, dishwater and washing machines are drained, etc., the flow is sent through service pipes to sanitary sewer mains located beneath the city streets.  A series of mains of increasing sizes flow by gravity to the treatment facility.  Lift stations are placed in low areas that cannot be served by gravity.  In these areas, a pump is placed in the system to lift the waste to a higher level.  The waste then either travels by gravity again or is forced to the plant in a closed system.  There are currently seven lift stations located throughout the community.  Each lift station has an alarm system installed with an emergency call out system.  Once the wastewater reaches the plant located on West Third Street, the wastewater is lifted to an elevation that allows it to flow by gravity throughout the rest of the plant.  For a detailed explanation of the treatment process, please visit the Wastewater Treatment section under the Public Works area of the City of Dixon website (www.discoverdixon.org).

There are nearly 80 miles of sanitary sewer main located throughout the City of Dixon.  These mains are maintained by the staff of the Wastewater Treatment Facilities Department using a combination jetter/vacuum sewer cleaning machine.  A camera that can travel through the mains is also used to determine the cause of failures and clogs.  All of our employees are trained to use confined space safety equipment when needing to enter sanitary manholes for access to the system.

The Wastewater Treatment Facilities Department is led by Superintendent Dan Mahan.  His experience and knowledge of the entire wastewater system for the City of Dixon serves the community well.  Assisting Superintendent Mahan in the operation and maintenance of the complex wastewater system is Foreman Tim Stover, Class I Operator Tim Love, and Class III Operator Josh McNitt.  Their efforts have been recognized with nominations for state awards for treatment facilities.  Through their dedication and hard work, the Wastewater Treatment Facilities Department will continue to serve the city well.