Frequently Asked Questions

 

  1. Help! There is a sewer back up in my house. What do I do?
    Phone our office right away at (516) 482-0238 , and file a Stoppage Incident Report with one of our friendly office employees.

    Please be ready to give a general synopsis of the problem you are having from said backup, a phone number you can be reached at, a name we can contact (especially if not your own) and the location of the incident.

    We will send someone out that same day to check the problem first hand in our main line at your location. You don't have to be home at the time; as long as we have a way to reach you we can follow up with you after we have finished inspecting the incident area.
  2. I had a backup and after the District checked it out, they said it was my responsibly. Who is responsible for what?
    The homeowner is responsible for the maintenance of the sewer line from their residence (house lateral) up to and including its connection to the main sewer line. This line could be in the street or behind your home, depending on the Village you live in. When a backup call is received, we utilize our closed circuit TV (CCTV) camera to determine if the cause is in the main sewer line or if it is in the homeowner's house lateral line.

    If it is found to be a problem in our main sewer line prior to the connection you have from your house lateral, we will take care of it. But if it isn't a problem from our main line, it is your responsibility to get it taken care of.
  3. Who do I call when I have other water related issues or have items to be disposed of?
    The GNWPCD is here to help and serve you for any of your sewer backup related problems that are caused by one of our sewer lines. But if it is a non-sewer, yet water related problem you want to contact the Water Authority of Great Neck North or Manhasset-Lakeview Water District (depending on which services your particular water). This would be for any and all other water related problems including sprinklers, water mains, water service invoices and the similar.

    For these and other non-sewer related problems please dial
    311

    If you want to contact your water provider directly:
    Water Authority of Great Neck North: (516) 482-0210
    Manhasset-Lakeview Water District: (516) 466-4416


    Please note. We don't handle disposal of waste or removal of unwanted items. You can call 311 or contact the Town of North Hempstead for the appropriate information on who to get in touch with to handle your non sewer related problems. Their information can be found on our Useful Links section of this site.

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  4. What do I do about getting public access to sewer related records in your district?
    To get access to any and all files that deal with sewer lines covered by the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District, you must fill out and fully complete the top portion of a Application for Public Access to Records Form known as the FOIL form.

    The top portion of the form must be fully completed stating the location of the record you want access to, be fully signed along with your printed out name and who you are requesting the record on behalf of. Said form must then be sent back to this office via mail or fax and the request will either be approved or given reasons for other options pertaining to it.

    We can not give access to any public records dealing with any of our sewer lines or maps without a FOIL form being completed. The FOIL form is located on the Useful Forms section of this site.
  5. I own a food related business in this District, and was told I need to put in a grease trap due to the Sewer Usage Ordinance. What exactly is the Sewer Usage Ordinance?
    Any food-service related business found in our District must adhere to the Great Neck Water Pollution Sewer Usage Ordnance guidelines.

    This means that any business located in our District that is going to be serving food in any capacity must have a grease trap (or "grease interceptor"), installed onto their premises before they can run a business in the District.

    Prior to the operation of your business you must have approval from our office. Every type of grease trap installed will differ depending on the type of business and the volume of food being produced to keep our sewers clean from excess grease and wastes that can harm and cause backup within our system.

    We will determine the type of grease trap appropriate for your use and once you have it properly installed you must agree to have said traps cleaned on a regular monthly basis or risk being in violation with the district.

    The agreement you make with an outside cleaning service provider to regularly clean your grease traps must also be approved by our offices.

    A copy of the ordnance is available for viewing on our web site by clicking the link below.
    (Click here for the Sewer Usage Ordinance ).

    If you have any questions regarding the Sewer Usage Ordnance, please call our Grease Trap Cleaning Processing Department at:

    (516) 482-0238
    ext. 21    .

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  6. I would love to take a tour of the District sewage plant. Is there a way I can schedule one?
    Yes. You can take a personal tour of our facilities by arranging it before hand. We are proud to show how the process works and are even prouder to show our vast efficient and environmentally friendly operations to those interested.

    Please call our main number of (516) 482-0238 and the operator will set a time for you and your friends to take a tour of the District and its various buildings.

  7. Can I dispose of medications and drugs in the drain and/or toilet?
    Absolutely not! Please do not dispose of any medications, drugs or other types of medicines into our wastewater system. This will do long term damage to drinking water and wild life.

    Trace elements from said medicines have been shown to show up and effect the aquatic wildlife and the water we drink due to people disposing of medications in this manor. Wastewater treatment plants were not designed to filter out the elements found in these items.

    Please be sure to check out the Disposal of Medications section of our site. And the website www.dontflushyourdrugs.net for more information on how to go about proper disposal of medications.

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  8. Why are garbage disposals not permitted in the District?
    Garbage disposals introduce larger solids and grease which can lead to blockages throughout the system. Additives and detergents that claim to dissolve grease may only soften it, allowing it to harden within the system.

  9. Why can't I put fats, oils and/or grease (FOG) into the drain?
    10. Once FOG is poured into a drain it adheres to the insides of sewer pipes, reducing their inside diameter. This grease build-up may block an entire pipe, which could lead to raw sewage backing up into homes and businesses.

  10. How am I supposed to dispose of fats, oils and grease (FOG) if I cannot put it into the sewer system?
    Dispose of FOG by placing it and food scraps into a container or can and dispose of it with your regular trash collection.


  11. Why is all of this so important?
    Every gallon of sewage must be treated by the GNWPCD, while meeting strict government guidelines, and then returned to Manhasset Bay. We all want our neighboring waters and shoreline to be clean and pollution free.

  12. Why install nitrogen removal facilities?
    This is a federally mandated project. While nitrogen is an important nutrient in aquatic ecosystems, large amounts (like those discharged by WWTP) can alter the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water.

  13. Where else does this nitrogen come from?
    Nitrogen and other chemicals such as phosphorus and carbon are also introduced to the system from fertilizers and storm water runoff. You can help alleviate this chemical pollution by practicing Xeriscape landscaping. That is, landscaping that uses minimal water and fertilizer and plants native to the area.

For more information go to:
www.waterauthorityofgreatnecknorth.com/xeriscape.html.


 



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