Wastewater Facilities

In 1951, the Water, Light and Sinking Fund Commission took over the City of Dalton's sewer system.  Today, the system is the backbone of local industry and includes one of the nation's largest forested Land Application Systems.

Dalton Utilities’ wastewater collection system is comprised of over 200 miles of pipe, receiving both household and industrial wastewater.

How many wastewater customers does Dalton Utilities serve?
11,577

What is the daily amount of wastewater treated?
We treat 30-40 million gallons per day, on average.

How does raw sewage get to the treatment plants?
Much of the collection system is gravity drain (the wastewater merely runs downhill to a lower part of the system). In areas where gravity drain is not possible, lift stations are installed to move the wastewater to the treatment plants. The facilities are called "lift stations" because we "lift" the wastewater back to a level where gravity may once again be utilized.

Is the wastewater treated with chemicals?
On the contrary, Dalton Utilities uses a biological process to filter the waste from raw sewage. Our three state-of-the-art treatment facilities use diffused air to oxygenate the raw sewage. This environment allows aerobic organisms to live in the water and feed on the waste particles, cleansing the wastewater in an all natural way! For a brief explanation of our wastewater treatment process, click here.

Once the wastewater has been treated, it goes to our 9,200-acre Land Application System where it is pumped to over thousands of sprayheads which apply the water to the landscape, allowing the soil and plant life to further cleanse the water. For more information on our Land Application System, click here.

Solids removed from the wastewater are sent to our Biosolids Handling Facility. At this facility, any remaining liquid is spun out in large centrifuges made especially for our facility. We then add a polymer to the dry solids to make them "cake." This solid waste matter is then added to organic material to make compost. For more information on our composting operation, click here.

Student Tours
Dalton Utilities offers student tours of its wastewater treatment facilities. If you'd like to set up a tour, please contact Marti Bryson at mbryson@dutil.com, or call (706) 529-1105.