Wastewater Management

The City of Greenville sanitary sewer system is approximately 327 miles of sanitary sewer mains. The City of Greenville operates and maintains the collection system through the Public Works Department, Sanitary Sewer Bureau.

Enterprise Fund

The city maintains a Sanitary Sewer Enterprise Fund. This self-supporting fund provides the daily operations and maintenance, design and construction for Capital Improvement Program Projects and the repayment of debt incurred for the sanitary sewer system. These activities are paid through user fees based on the water tap size of properties connected to the sanitary sewer collection system.

Wastewater Lateral Locate Requests

The City of Greenville owns many of the wastewater (sanitary sewer) public mains within the city. Property owners connecting to the wastewater system own their individual lateral (private sanitary sewer line) up to and including the connection to the wastewater main and are responsible for all maintenance needs.

The City keeps records of the public wastewater mains. However, the City does not retain records for all of the private laterals. For recent subdivisions, as-built information of the wastewater system that identifies individual lateral locations may be available. Please be aware that this as-built information is not always accurate.

Make a Request

To request the sewer main location information, call Engineering at 864-467-4400 or fill out an online request, a minimum of three business days in advance. This information is limited to the connection point to the wastewater main and may include the portion of the lateral within the right-of-way. In the event the City does not have a record of the lateral location, property owners are encouraged to contract with a local, licensed plumber equipped to locate the lateral.

Sewer capacity Request

The city utilizes a sewer modeling program to help ensure adequate capacity in our sewer system. We require that all new developments and redevelopments submit a sewer capacity request to maintain an accurate model. Please use this link to submit your sewer capacity request.

SCDOT Utility Encroachment Agreement Request

On January 15, 2021, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in conjunction with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) approved a significant change to the current Utility Accommodations Policy (July 2020) that directly affects how the City of Greenville Wastewater Division (CGWD) handles it’s utility encroachments within the State’s Rights of Way (ROW).  The SCDOT now requires the City of Greenville cosign all encroachment applications for new or replaced wastewater facilities within the DOT’s Right-Of-Way (ROW). Please use this link to submit a SCDOT Utility Agreement Application. 

Sewer Overflow Emergency Contact

In the event of a sewer overflow emergency during normal business hours, please contact the Public Works Department at 864-467-4335 for assistance. For after hours and weekend emergencies, please call Police Dispatch at 864-271-5333 for assistance.

Septic Tank Pumping Policy

In accordance with schedules recommended by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), the City will pump out residential septic tanks every five years. Property owners are responsible for contacting the City's Public Works Department at 864-467-4335 when their systems need pumping, and systems that require pumping more frequently than every five years will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Opting out of the sewer fee is not permitted under any circumstances.

Wastewater Construction Permit Application

Contractors may submit wastewater plans and applications or revised applications for main extensions to be owned and maintained by the City of Greenville. Plumbing permits for commercial and single family residential properties are submitted through the building and permitting department.

At the conclusion of construction and all required testing, the permitting engineer must submit the following: signed and sealed record drawings, a letter certifying the construction is in accordance with the PTC, a utility easement survey plat, a photographic documentation of manholes, a sewer maintenance and warranty agreement, and bond (Section 8.7 of DSM- Permitting Process).
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