Water & Sewer Department
The City of Graham provides a number of utilities to its citizens including water treatment, wastewater treatment, sewer distribution, and stormwater management. The City of Graham maintains over 104 miles of water mains and 93 miles of sanitary sewer. In addition, the City of Graham oversees the pretreatment of industrial wastewater prior to discharge into the City Collection System.
The City of Graham’s Water Utility is responsible for water and wastewater operations. From flood prevention and resources preservation to ensuring the safe and dependable delivery of the highest quality of drinking water, the City is committed to meeting the ever-changing needs of our community. The City has an ongoing commitment to protect the environment and deliver vital services in a cost-efficient and environmentally sound manner. Reach out to the Department with any questions related to the City’s water resources.
Have more questions about Water, Sewer, or Stormwater? Give us a call at 336-578-3264
Sewer Blockage Or Backup In Your Home or Business
In the event of a sewer blockage or backup in a customer’s home or business, the customer should first call the Water and Sewer Department at 336 693-8205. If a customer calls a plumber first, and the blockage or backup is the city’s responsibility, the city will not reimburse the customer for the cost of the plumber.
Water Treatment Plant
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Pretreatment
Distribution & Collection
Contact Us
Notice of Work
Budget & Fees
Service Line
Water Treatment Plant
Water Treatment Plant
The City of Graham is co-owner of the Graham-Mebane Water Treatment Plant with the City of Mebane. The plant began operation in 1976 and is located on Graham-Mebane Lake in the northeast part of Alamance County. The lake itself is 718 acres, providing 2.8 billion gallons of storage. The water treatment plant was upgraded and expanded in 2003 and has a treatment capacity of 12 million gallons per day and a treated water storage capacity of 6 million gallons. The Graham-Mebane Water Treatment Plant distributes approximately 3.8 million gallons of water per day. In addition to providing water for the Cities of Graham and Mebane, the Towns of Green Level and Swepsonville are also served by the Graham-Mebane Water Treatment Plant.
2024 PFAS Update (Please use zoom function for clear view of the data.)
Wastewater Treatment Plant
Wastewater Treatment Plant
The City owns and operates the Graham Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) located on Town Branch Creek. The Graham WWTP is a biological treatment facility that was constructed in 1960 and was upgraded and expanded in 1980 and 2002. The present permitted capacity of the WWTP is 3.5 million gallons per day. The Graham WWTP treats an average of 2.0 million gallons of wastewater each day.
Influent Emerging Compound Data
Clarifier Effluent and Sludge Holding Tank Emerging Compound Data
Clarifier Effluent and Sludge Holding Tank Emerging Compound Data – 9/23/24
Pretreatment
Pretreatment
The City also administers a Federal and State regulated pretreatment program. Pretreatment refers to the treatment of industrial wastewater at an industrial facility prior to discharge into the City’s Collection System in accordance with the City of Graham Sewer Use Ordinance. This Program helps protect our collection system and wastewater treatment plant from excess loads of pollutants that could harm our collection lines and treatment plant. The City of Graham monitors five Significant Industrial Users and a total of twelve industries. Additionally, the City’s pretreatment program monitors all food service establishments for their compliance with the City’s Fats, Oils, and Grease Control (FOG) Policy.
Dental Amalgam
On July 14, 2017, the U.S. EPA published the Dental Effluent Guidelines (40 CFR 441). Dental amalgam used for fillings contains mercury in a concentrated form that is easy to collect and recycle. This regulation reduces the discharge of mercury from dental offices to Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) or municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) through proper recycling, best management practices, maintenance of collection equipment and record keeping.
All dental facilities subject to this regulation must install an amalgam separator that meets the ISO 11143 criteria. Facilities are also required to put in place two Best Management Practices (BMPs), submit a One-Time Compliance Report to the Industrial Pretreatment Program, conduct ongoing operation and maintenance of the amalgam separator, and maintain associated documentation.
Details of these items can be found on the EPA’s provided Dental Amalgam Fact Sheet
Any new dental practice opening must comply immediately with all requirements upon opening the practice. This includes submittal of the One Time Compliance Report to the City of Graham at the address or email below.
Existing dental practices must achieve compliance and submit a One-Time Compliance Report https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/Water%20Quality/Surface%20Water%20Protection/PERCS/MAIN%20Pretreatment/Generic-Compliance-Report-for-Dental-Dischargers.pdf by October 12, 2020. This compliance report should be returned to:
By mail: City of Graham
Attn: Shelby Smith
PO Drawer 357
Graham, NC 27253
For more information or to read the rule in its entirety please view the Dental Effluent Guidelines https://www.epa.gov/eg/dental-effluent-guidelines. If you need assistance in filling out the One-Time Compliance Report please contact Shelby Smith at (336) 570-6721
Distribution & Collection
Distribution & Collection
The City Distribution and Collection Department maintains over 104 miles of water mains and over 93 miles of sanitary sewer lines throughout the City and surrounding area.
Contact Us
Contact Your Water Resources Team
ORC/Wastewater Treatment
Cris Routh
Plant Supervisor
336-570-6721
Pretreatment Coordinator
Shelby Smith
336-570-6721
Water and Sewer Distribution
Ladd Nall
Superintendent
336-570-6709
Notice of Work
Rehabilitating sanitary sewer manholes
Click here to learn more
Budget & Fees
Budget Message
- FY22/23 – Budget Message – Water Sewer Fund
- FY23/24 – Budget Message
- FY24/25 Rates & Fee Schedule
Water & Sewer Fee Analysis
Service Line
What is a Service Line?
In a water distribution system, a service line carries water from the water main (typically near or under the street) to your place of residence or business. The EPA classifies water service lines as any water line that is less than two (2”) inches in diameter. The City of Graham owns and maintains the water service up to the meter, and the property owner owns and maintains the water service from the meter to the building. Provided below is a diagram of a typical water service line with the public and private ownership side labeled.
To view the water service line material to your dwelling, please enter your street number in the green box provided below. If you have any questions about your service line or have not already submitted your customer self-identification form, please send an email to khill@cityofgraham.com. If you have lost your customer ID form, or if you do not see your material listed, please submit your water service material type to khill@cityofgraham.com.
Background about Lead Service Lines
Throughout the history of water utilities, Lead Service Lines were sometimes used as a water service material throughout the United States as a way to convey water from the main to a residential home or business. Due to a better understanding of Lead and the harmful long-term effects, many water projects limited the amount of lead that was used in construction of water mains and services starting around the 1930’s and 40’s. While lead was not used for the entirety of the service lines, there were lead fittings that were being used until 1986. In 1986, the US government passed a lead ban that stated that water piping or fittings that were to be used for distribution of water for consumption could not be lead. In 1992, the Safe Drinking Water Act was amended with an effective date of 1994 so that piping could not be manufactured with more than 8% lead and fixtures, solder or flux could not contain more than 0.2%. In 2011, congress passed the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act (RLDWA) changing the definition of lead free from the 8% to a weighted average of 0.25% for all piping and fixtures while solder and flux remained at 0.2%. In 2020, the EPA published the final “lead free” rule which requires manufacturers to constantly verify that materials are adhering to the 0.25% and 0.2% standards. This updated rule also requires public water supply owners to create an inventory of service line materials to further identify and address potential sources of lead contamination within drinking water.
Requirements of the City of Graham
As part of the EPA’s rule adoption in 2020, all public water suppliers are required to inventory the water service lines for residential single family, multifamily homes, daycares and schools. In an effort to comply with these rules, the City of Graham has begun investigating water service material types in various locations around the City. The locations that were selected to be investigated first are areas of older homes and areas that have a higher probability of having a lead service line.
While the City cannot investigate every service at this moment, we do ask for your help. If you know the material of your water service, please send an email to the address below with your Name, Address, and Water Service Material. If you have recently replaced the water service at your home, please include the year the replacement was made.
If you have lost your customer ID form, or if you do not see your material listed, please submit your water service material type to khill@cityofgraham.com
FAQ's
To establish an account, a customer must either call the City of Graham Water and Sewer Billing Department at (336) 570-6700 for information or complete a water service application at City Hall. Tenant and Commercial accounts are required to pay a deposit before service can be established.
Customers seeking a new connection or tap should contact the City of Graham Planning Department at (336) 570-6705 to verify the availability of the desired service and any applicable fees.
Effective May 2008, all utility customers will receive their bills on a monthly basis.
Bills are due by the 18th of the month. Accounts that are not paid by the 18th will receive a late fee equal to 2% of the outstanding balance (minimum charge: $5.00) and a delinquent notice will be issued.
After the 28th of each month, any unpaid account is subject to disconnection on the next business day for delinquent balances of more than $5.00. If the 28th falls on the weekend or holiday, disconnections will be scheduled for the next business day.
An additional nonpayment fee of $40.00 is automatically added to the account. This fee is charged when the customer’s account is scheduled for disconnection, regardless of whether or not the service is actually disconnected.
The City of Graham will accept payment in the form of cash, single-party check, credit/debit card, or money order.
Payments may be made in person at the City Hall during normal business hours, online, by phone (1-888-626-8426), by bank draft or by mail. A payment drop box is located just inside the main entrance to City Hall, 201 South Main Street. Payments placed in the drop box after 5 p.m. will be considered next-day payments.
The City will accept online credit card and debit card payments through the City’s Online Bill Payment service. Additionally, customers may manage their account and update contact information. You can access Online Bill Pay by clicking here. Users will be required to create a log in account before payment may be made.
The payment will be posted the following business day.
You may contact Customer Service at (336) 570-6700 or refer to the Getting Started Guide for assistance.
Yes, the City does offer bank draft for Water and Sewer accounts. A signed bank draft application and a voided check are needed to initiate bank drafts.
Many customers will see charges on their bill for solid waste collection, recycling, and stormwater.
Both Water and Sewer charges are calculated based on a customer’s metered water consumption. You can determine your consumption in gallons by subtracting the prior reading on your bill from the current reading.
All active accounts, regardless of consumption, receive a minimum charge that covers the first 1,000 gallons of consumption.
Most meters in the City are now read “off site”. “Off site” means that the meter reader is not required to physically visit the meter to take a reading; rather, the reading is gathered electronically by a handheld computer. In most cases the meter reader will simply drive down the street or a nearby street to gather the readings.
All meters that are read electronically have an Electronic Reading Transmitter (ERT). Most ERTs are positioned under the meter lid with the exception of those mounted to the top of lids to improve reception.
Damaging or disconnecting an ERT will not prevent the City from collecting a reading. If an ERT is damaged or disconnected, the customer may be responsible for the damages or assessed a tampering penalty.
Most meters throughout the City and all new meters that are installed have leak indicators on them that help determine if a leak is ongoing. However, even though meter leak indicators may be able to determine if a leak is present, they are unable to pinpoint the location of a leak. A customer should contact a licensed plumber in the event a leak is suspected.