IB Sewage Treatment Plant

Taking Care of YOUR Treatment Facility

         As many are aware, Indian Brook Condominium Trust has its own Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).  As such, it is the responsibility of the Association (that means all unit owners) to take care of the facility.  There is contractor that operates the facility and makes sure the facility is run within the parameters set by the State of Massachusetts. 

         Educating individual residents by providing tips on best household management practices is the quickest, least expensive, and most effective first step in managing your STP. Please keep the following in mind:

ITEM

REASON or METHOD

Please DO reduce water use around the home

Reducing the amount of water entering the STP will increase its life span. Ways to reduce water use around the house include: reduce water pressure, limit shower time, install low-flow showerheads, turn off faucets while shaving or brushing teeth, run washing machines and dishwashers only when full, and fix leaking or dripping faucets and running toilets. 65% of all water introduced to the STP is from toilets, showers and faucets. Excessive water may be a cause of system failure - your efforts can reduce the chance of it happening.

Please DO NOT put fats, grease, oils or meat scraps down your sink.

Grease is the number one cause of sewer stoppages. Grease can clog both sewer pipes in your home and the pipes located at the STP. Cleaner pipes lead to fewer maintenance calls, which will save you money. In addition, fats, oils and greases cause the most odors at the STP.

Please DO NOT flush coffee grounds, kitty litter, cigarette butts, bandages, sanitary napkins, condoms, disposable diapers, tampons, gauze, match sticks, paper towels or napkins.

These items can overtax the STP and could possible lead to a costly blockage or pump failure. These items also fill up the STP trash trap tank leading to more frequent tank pumping, costing you more money. These items should be disposed in the regular trash.

Please DO NOT connect a garbage disposal to your system.

A garbage disposal will only grind the waste into smaller particles and they will eventually settle out in the trash trap leading to the issues noted above.  A large mesh sink drainer, available at stores like Bed Bath and Beyond, can help with solids that collect as a result of kitchen sink use.

Please DO NOT flush, or pour down the drain, any strong medicines, particularly antibiotics.

These items can adversely affect the microorganisms used to treat your waste. A “kill” or “die-off” of these organisms requires a costly re-seed of the facility.

Please DO NOT connect a sump pump to your drain.

A sump pump can introduce large amounts of water into the system and can lead a hydraulic overload of the system. If the STP is hydraulically overloaded, treatment efficiency decreases leading to partially treated wastewater being discharged.

Parameter

Increase in
pollutant loading (%)

Suspended solids

40-90

Biochemical oxygen demand

20-65

Total nitrogen

3-10

Total phosphorus

2-3

Fats, oils, and grease

70-150

SOURCE: US EPA pamphlet "Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems – High-Organic-Strength Wastewaters" (opens as PDF)