Keeping Charlotte-Mecklenburg clean and safe is a day-to-day priority for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities. We are committed to providing a safe, sufficient drinking water supply, while protecting the environment by cleaning water after it's been used and discharging the treated water back into our local streams.

Everyone at Utilities - from engineers and administrators, to water and wastewater treatment operators and lab staff, to water distribution and wastewater collection crews - knows the importance of a healthy living environment.

We want to let customers know how they can help too.

For example, you're probably hearing more about sewage overflows and spills. These daily challenges are most often caused by clogged or partially blocked pipes, which result in wastewater flowing backwards and out of manholes onto our streets and into our waterways.

Kitchen grease and other fats, oils and greases disposed of down drains cause more than 50 percent of all sewage spills. If we all stopped pouring these materials into the wastewater system, we could prevent many sewage overflows and spills that occur every year.

RELATED LINKS  

• Grease Free - the leading cause of sewage spills. En Espaņol
• Environmental Management Division
• Environmental Services Facility - a new "green" building that houses Lab Services and Environmental Management staff.
• Industrial Pretreatment - regulates the materials commercial and industrial users can discharge to the sewer system.
• Sewage Overflows - what to do if you see or suspect a sewage overflow or spill.
• Wastewater Performance Report - how well your wastewater system works, including a listing of sewage spills and overflows.