Water & Sewer Distribution

The Water Division is responsible for providing municipal water to homes, businesses, and industries within the City of St. Joseph, as well as, Lincoln Charter Township, Royalton Township, St. Joseph Charter Township, Village of Shoreham, and Village of Stevensville. The Water Division includes the St. Joseph Water Filtration Plant, the Water Service Department, the Water Department Customer Service Office and the Sewer Department.

Water & Sewer Superintendent:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
(269) 983-6341

The Water & Sewer Division is responsible for:

WATER DISTRIBUTION

As part of the Public Works & Service Department the Water & Sewer Division crew is responsible for the maintenance and repair of hundreds of miles of various sized water mains in the City of St. Joseph and the Townships of St. Joseph Charter, Lincoln Charter, Royalton and the Villages of Shoreham and Stevensville. In addition to the mains, the Water Distribution crew is also tasked with the care of thousands of fire hydrants, valves, services and meters throughout the distribution network.

Once the water is pumped and treated at the Water Treatment Plant it becomes the responsibility of the Public Works & Service Department to ensure that the water reaches every individual water customer on the system. In order to guarantee the safe movement of the drinking water through the system, the division employees complete systematic maintenance, hydrant flowing, and emergency repairs of the system throughout the year.

Customers with questions related to billing, how to read your bill or service modifications should contact the Utility Billing Department at 983-6324. Customers experiencing water quality or pressure issues are asked to contact the Water Treatment Plant at 983-1240.

To view the St. Joseph Water System Operating Rules and Regulations, please click here.

SEWER MAINTENANCE

The Department of Public Works & Service is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the City of St. Joseph public sanitary and storm sewer systems. These two separate but similar and vital systems are essential in keeping the City safe, clean and healthy.

The Storm Sewer system is designed and intended to capture and move rain water, snow melt and other surface water away from the existing surface such as a street or parking lot and safely discharge it into a body of water such as a stream or river. The City of St. Joseph currently has hundreds of miles of storm sewer pipes and storm water/debris separator chambers that require frequent maintenance and repair. A major portion of this maintenance includes the catch basins and their covers or grates. These often become clogged with leaves and debris which then blocks the flow of the water creating a ponding effect on the roadway or parking lot during heavy rain events. As part of the Public Works & Service annual storm sewer maintenance program, the City uses its vacuum/debris loader truck to clean out the catch basins and the debris separator chambers to prevent blockages of the system.

It's important to remember that our storm drains lead directly to the St. Joseph River and Lake Michigan. Any motor oil, pet waste, leaves, grass clippings, fertilizers or contaminated water from washing your vehicle that enters the storm drains gets sent directly into our water that is used for recreation and our drinking water. Please, only rain down the drain! For more information please click on this Storm Water Education link. 

The Sanitary Sewer system is designed to carry away domestic and industrial wastewater to the City of Benton Harbor/St. Joseph Joint Waste Water Treatment Plant for treatment and release into the St. Joseph River. With approximately 3,500 customers and hundreds of miles of sewer main and several lift stations, the care and maintenance of this system are extremely important to everyone attached to it.

On occasion, a utility customer will encounter a backup of wastewater into their basement. Residents are advised to contact the Department of Public Works & Service (after hour number) as soon as a backup or potential backup is developing. Once the City is notified the Department will check the sewer main, which it is responsible for, and will clean it if it is needed. If the main is "running clear" and is not blocked, the homeowner will be notified that it is a problem in their sewer lateral or service. The homeowner is responsible for their lateral or service from their home all the way to the sewer main even if it is underneath a City street.

As a preventive maintenance tool, the City is fortunate to have a sewer maintenance truck that is equipped with a jet rodding and a debris vacuum system. This piece of equipment is the primary tool used by the Water & Sewer Division to maintain and repair the City's aging sewer system.

MISS DIGS (Utility Locates) 811

The Water & Sewer Division is responsible for marking all of the public water and sewer utility lines in the City and all of the public water lines in the Townships of St. Joseph Charter, Lincoln Charter, Royalton and the Villages of Shoreham and Stevensville.

Before you begin any type of project that requires digging we ask that you dial 811. Once you have contacted 811-MISS DIG, they will notify us of your project and we will mark the area near the proposed work and identify any underground water and/or sewer utilities in the area. Because of the large area that we cover it can mean that we have to mark several thousand properties each year to keep you and the utilities safe from accidental damage. Please call us if you have any questions regarding the blue and green markings and flags we have placed.