The Sewer District has a formidable array of safeguards and controls to protect the environment and people.
For example, rigorous daily and weekly tests on the waste water prevents harmful releases into the harbor. These include tests for fecal and total coliform, pH, settable and suspended solids, dissolved oxygen and chlorine residuals, according to chief operator Tom Rossetti.

Moreover, state-of-the-art systems keep tabs on the District's equipment, Rossetti said. When sewage enters the plant, before being pumped into tanks, it is held in a cavernous wet well, which is monitored by sophisticated sensors. these trigger an alarm if the pumps fail and the sewage level rises. In this way, the pumps can be repaired as quickly as possible, avoiding a sewage backup.

Alarms and sensors are also wired to the room containing the chlorine that is used to treat the waste water. The slightest chlorine leak -- as little as one part per million -- sets off the alarm, which consists of both a piercing audio tone and flashing lights. [Note: In 1995, the District replaced the chlorine with sodium hypochlorite, a much safer alternative. Please see the article: Sewer District Upgrades System (Spring 1995).]

"These are but a few of the many controls that keep the Sewer District save," Rossetti said. "Prudence and caution -- they're our watchwords."