Wastewater Department

Our Mission

The mission of the City of Rochester Wastewater Department is to professionally and cost effectively provide wastewater service that meet the present and future environmental, health, and safety needs of the community and our employees. We are committed to a goal of 100% customer satisfaction and the honorable reasonability to protect the receiving waters of Indiana and our environment.

Our Finished Product (Bio Solids):

There are two grade qualifications depending on the extent of treatment:

Class A Sludge: Can be sold directly to landscapers or the public; found in different brands of potting soil.
Class B Sludge: Is not qualified for selling; must be land applied, taken to a landfill, or hauled to a receiving station.

Rochester Wastewater produces Class B sludge that is land applied or land filled.

What Makes The Rochester Wastewater Treatment Facility Unique?

Rochester is one of the few “Trickling Filter Plants” in the state of Indiana
Rochester Wastewater is capable of handling 1.65 million gallons of flow per day
The City of Rochester’s Sewer and storm drains are not combined
The Wastewater plant does the maintenance and cleaning of both sewer and storm drains with the use of two Vacuum trucks used for each specific job
A Class III Trickling Filter Plant

For Emergency assistance after hours or on weekends, please call (574) 835-6007

Marcus Halterman

Class III | Class A Certified Superintendent
Phone: 574-223 3485
Email: wastewater@rochester.in.us
Hours: M - F 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

DO I FALL UNDER THE SDC CHARGE?

You may have to pay SDCs when:

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) are added
Addition of commercial floor area
Increased number of plumbing fixture units
Increasing the size of a water meter
New or additional square feet of residential or commercial occupancy are built
New stormwater or sanitary connections are proposed
Proposal results in additional volume to existing connections
The project creates new redeveloped impervious area
There is a change of use or occupancy

Key Facts About SDCs:

SDCs are one-time charges, not ongoing rates or taxes.
SDCs are used to fund additional capacity needed to serve growth.
SDCs do not fund ongoing system maintenance.
SDCs include future and existing cost components.
SDCs are intended to recover a fair share of the cost of existing and planned facilities needed to serve new growth.

FOG - Fats, Oils, Grease

What is FOG?

FOG refers to Fats, Oils and Grease, which may come from animal, vegetable or mineral sources.

Who is a Food Service Establishment?

A Food Service Establishment is any place that prepares food including, but not limited to, restaurants, banquet halls, cafeterias, schools and hospitals. In addition, all food manufacturing facilities (deli’s, bakeries, etc.)

What is a Grease Trap?

A Grease Trap is an indoor grease separation device, usually installed underneath a sink and designed for small volume water flows. Grease Traps must be Plumbing and Drainage Institute (PDI) certified.

What is a Grease Interceptor?

A Grace Interceptor is an outdoor grease separation tank installed in the ground and designed to handle larger volume water flows. A Grease Interceptor shall have a minimum capacity of 1000 gallons.

What Else do I need to know?

I already have a Grease trap, does this apply to me?

If your grease trap or interceptor is properly sized and working well then all that is needed is documentation of its periodic cleaning.

Ok, now I have a separator. What's next?

Separators require maintenance in order to function properly. Grease Traps should be inspected every three months. While inspecting the trap, the owner shall determine if it needs to be cleaned.

Grease Interceptors should be inspected every three months and cleaned by a reputable service company a minimum of once per year. Depending on the depth of the grease in the Interceptor, it may require cleaning more than annually.

The Maintenance Log

Records detailing when the separator was cleaned, who cleaned it, how much FOG was removed and where the FOG was taken are required to be maintained by the separator owner and provided to the WWTP Department upon request.

If there are multiple separators onsite, then multiple records must be maintained. You can obtain a blank copy of the Grease Maintenance log.

What if I don't Maintain it?

Separators that cause problems for the sewer collection system or failure to maintain separator cleaning records may result in action by the City that can range from written notifications to the owner, to fines up to $400 per violation. Additionally if FOG causes a blockage in the City sewer lines, the cost of work required to remove the FOG from the City’s sewer collection system may be billed to the owner of the separator causing the problem.

City Ordinance

51.26 GREASE, OIL, SAND INTERCEPTORS AND TRAPS

Grease, oil and sand interceptors or traps shall be provided when, in the opinion of the city, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients, except that such interceptors or traps will not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors or traps shall be of a type and capacity approved by the city and shall be located so as to be readily accessible for cleaning and inspection. They shall be constructed of impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes in temperatures and shall be of substantial construction, is gas tight, water tight and equipped with easily removable covers. Where installed, all grease, oil and sand interceptors or traps shall be maintained by the owner, at his or her expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times. Ordinance limitation testing of the discharge from such interceptors or traps may be conducted by the city with the cost of such testing to be borne by the owner in accordance with fees established and adopted by the Board.

(Ord. 17-2006, passed 1-9-07)

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, July 6, 2026 – WATER
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, August 3, 2026 – WATER
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, September 8, 2026 – WATER
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, October 5, 2026 – WATER
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, November 2, 2026 – WATER
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, December 7, 2026 – WATER