Water Discharge Policy

2020/12 Groundwater Report

City of Grand Island Water Discharge Policy

The City's policy is to accommodate water discharges where possible, only taking action to address problems.

The City prohibits discharge to sanitary sewer lines due to the following reasons:

  • The capacity of the lines cannot accommodate the additional water, and may lead to sewer backups; and

  • All water entering the sanitary sewer lines must be treated at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.  The additional water increases the plant's costs, and may eventually make it necessary to increase the plant's capacity (a major plant upgrade).

The preference for water discharge is as follows:

  1. Discharge to a natural body of water such as a river -  This is the best location as it is where the water will eventually end up;

  2. Discharge to subsurface drainage system (storm sewer) -  Storm sewer is not available to all properties in the City;

  3. Discharge to an open ditch -  This puts water in the bottom of the ditch continuously, making it more difficult to clean, but it is only necessary to clean ditches once every 1 to 3 years (less for smaller ditches); and

  4. Discharge to street -  This places water on the street most of the time, but usually in small quantities.  This becomes an issue in cold weather when it freezes, however few people discharge water during the winter due to the water table normally being low.  When large quantities are being discharged to the streets, algae can form after long periods of time making a very slick and undesirable condition.