Wastewater

Sewer Emergency

For any sewer emergency, discontinue household water use and call the 24-hour emergency sewer response team at (918) 586-6999. The City of Tulsa has a customer service employee available around the clock and if needed, a work crew is available to inspect and take action. 

Tulsa's Wastewater Collection System

Every day, Tulsans use millions of gallons of water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, manufacturing, irrigating lawns and crops, and recreation or other uses. The dirty water left behind by these activities is called wastewater.

Currently, Tulsa can treat 103 million gallons per day of wastewater. There are 2,000 miles of collection system sewer lines, over 65,000 manholes, and 49 pumping stations that collect and move wastewater to to four major treatment plants - Northside, Southside, Haikey Creek and Lower Bird creek.

Keeping Tulsa's water clean is a team effort that involves citizens and City workers. Federal and state regulations as well as City ordinances guide Public Works employees who operate and maintain the treatment plants, sanitary sewers, and other wastewater facilities. Residents and business people can do their part by disposing of hazardous waste properly, and funding the infrastructure needed by a growing city.

Learn more about Tulsa's wastewater collection system by watching this video.

How Does Tulsa's Wastewater Collection System Work?

Water that drains from your tub, through the sink or down the toilet has to go somewhere. But where does it go once it leaves your home? It flows through underground sanitary sewer lines to one of the city’s treatment plants, where the cleaning process begins to make it safe and clean enough to return to a water source like the Arkansas River or Bird Creek.

In most cases, the wastewater collection system conveys wastewater by gravity using the natural slope of the land. This is why Tulsa’s wastewater treatment plants are located in a low area near the receiving body of water. When the land is uneven and wastewater cannot flow all the way to the treatment plant by gravity, sanitary lift (or pump) stations are required to raise the wastewater from a low point to a higher point so it can return to gravity flow. In areas with hilly or rolling topography, it can require numerous lift stations to transport wastewater to the treatment plant.