Water & Sewer

NOTICE:

The City of Killeen is currently in Stage 1 of the Water Conservation Plan. Please read the information below for details.

The Water & Sewer office is open with social distancing practices in place.  The public is encouraged to conduct business by phone, email and web to the extent possible.

Water Flushing

The City of Killeen has about 600 dead-end flushers throughout the city. Many have asked why so much water is allowed to run and why they’re necessary. Watch here to find out the main three reasons the automatic and manual flushing of hydrants is required.

WINTERIZE YOUR WATER SYSTEM

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Report Leaks, Sewer Blockages & Overflows

To report water leaks or sewer blockages and overflows, please call 254-501-6500 or 254-501-6319. Suspicious activities in and around water pump stations, storage tanks and sewer facilities should be reported to the Killeen Police Department by calling 911.

Consumer Confidence Report

The City of Killeen purchases treated water from Bell County Water Control and Improvement District 1. The District draws the water from Lake Belton and processes it at the treatment plant by the lake. Water is transmitted to Killeen via pipeline and distributed to our customers. View the 2021 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (PDF).

Water / Sewer Operations

The Water and Sewer Department is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the water and sewer utilities, water storage and transmission facilities and sanitary sewer collection facilities. About 50 employees perform such functions as:

  • Repair of existing piping
  • Valve exercising
  • Fire hydrant repair
  • Installation of water and sewer taps
  • Preventive maintenance of sewer mains
  • TV camera inspection of sewer mains
  • Inflow and infiltration reduction
  • Maintenance and inspection of sewer lift stations
  • Maintenance and inspection of water transmission mains, storage facilities and pump facilities

I & I

I and I handles the inflow and infiltration of water into our sewer lines. With the use of the TV camera truck we scope our pipes and locate problem areas in the pipes where ground water and such gets into our lines causing potential problems.

BPAT & CSI

BPAT and CSI handles backflow prevention and customer service inspections-viewing exact points of water usage and determining requirements, ensuring that the city complies with state laws and informing our customers of backflow prevention, maintain records for several years both software and hard copies as per state laws, each month we mail reminders to customers that their annual tests are due.

Water

Water handles the:

  • Disassembling, cleaning, repairing, replacing and testing of defective or worn water meters including residential, commercial and fire hydrant meters
  • Flushing water mains and fire hydrants
  • Hydrants
  • Leaks
  • Line locates
  • New installations and meter shop-meter installation and repair
  • Repairs
  • Taps
  • Valves
  • Water mains
  • Water pressure checks

Sewer

Sewer handles the:

  • Flushing sewer lines
  • Leaks
  • Line locates
  • Manhole overflows-stoppage and overflow cleanup
  • New installations
  • Preventive maintenance
  • Repairs
  • Sewer mains
  • Taps

Lift Stations

Lift stations handle the lift station facilities, maintain grounds, maintenance and repair of pumps that receive and pump the city’s sewage onto the wastewater treatment plant.

Operations

Operations handle the operation of the public water system with:

  • Maintain grounds
  • Maintenance and repair of pumps
  • Motors and chlorinators
  • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) computer system
  • Water pump station facilities
  • Water sampling
  • Water storage tanks

TCEQ

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the environmental agency for the state.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG)

Fats, oils, and grease comes from meat fats in:

  • Butter and Margarine
  • Cooking Oil
  • Food Products Such as Mayonnaise, Salad Dressings, and Sour Cream
  • Food Scraps
  • Gravy
  • Lard
  • Shortening
Fats, Oils and Grease Examples (JPG)

Sewer Problems

FOG poured down kitchen drains accumulates inside sewer pipes. As the FOG builds up, it restricts the flow in the pipe and can cause untreated wastewater to back up into homes and businesses, resulting in high costs for cleanup and restoration. Manholes can overflow into parks, yards, streets, and storm drains, allowing FOG to contaminate local waters, including drinking water. Exposure to untreated wastewater is a public-health hazard.

FOG discharged into septic systems and drain fields can cause malfunctions, resulting in more frequent tank pump-outs and other expenses.

Business Expenses

Restaurants, cafeterias, and fast-food establishments spend tens of thousands of dollars on plumbing emergencies each year to deal with grease blockages and pump out grease traps and interceptors. Some cities also charge businesses for the repair of sewer pipes and spill cleanup if they can attribute the blockage to a particular business. Some cities also add a surcharge to wastewater bills if a business exceeds a specified discharge limit. These expenses can be a significant.

Community Expenses

Communities spend billions of dollars every year unplugging or replacing grease-blocked pipes, repairing pump stations, and cleaning up costly and illegal wastewater spills. Excessive FOG in the sewer system can affect local wastewater rates. So, keeping FOG out of the sewer system helps everyone in the community.

FOG clogs pipes and the bits of rotting food trapped in the FOG form hydrogen sulfide. The hydrogen sulfide combines with water to form sulfuric acid, which eats the pipes. The clogs caused by FOG can also cause sanitary sewer overflows, which expose people to raw sewage-a serious health hazard-and are expensive to clean up.