Wastewater Treatment Facility

What We Do

Wastewater treatment’s primary functions are to protect public health from water-borne diseases and protect the water environment from degradation by human generated pollutants.

The Village of BensenvilleWasteWater Optimized Public Works Department wastewater division provides sanitary sewer service and wastewater treatment for Bensenville residents, parts of unincorporated Bensenville and part of the industrial area of Elk Grove Village.  

We collect wastewater through over 60 miles of sanitary sewers that we operate and maintain.  We also operate and maintain 18 wastewater pumping stations located throughout our service area.  Wastewater is collected and treated at our wastewater treatment plant located at 711 East Jefferson St in Bensenville.  The treated wastewater is discharged to an un-named tributary of Addison Creek as permitted by the State of Illinois with authority from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  

Collection System

The sanitary sewer collection system consists of gravity sewers, pump stations, and forcemains.  Pumping stations pump flows from low-lying areas through forcemains to a downstream portion of the sewer system where gravity sewers can carry the flow to the Wastewater Plant.  Sewers range in size from 6-inch diameter up to 54-inch diameter.

We are responsible for ensuring that the sewers carry sanitary flow at all times. We routinely inspect, clean, repair, rehabilitate, and/or replace sewers in our system. In addition, we are always working to remove sources of rain and groundwater from entering the sanitary sewer system. These sources of flow consume valuable capacity that is needed to handle sanitary flows, especially during intense rainfall events.

Wastewater Treatment Plant

A major upgrade to the plant was completed in 2017.  Costing thirty million dollars it increased wet weather treatment capacity to 12 MGD, reduced operational costs by 20%, provided a more sustainable energy consumption plan, and implemented a biological nutrient removal component to address new permit limitations on phosphorus. The plant has been streamlined to eight major treatment steps and one digestion process. This “back-to-the-basics” approach yielded a plant with lower capital, operational, and maintenance costs while also providing simplified operations, easier maintenance, and improved flexibility.  (link to the brochure)

The project included converting tankage previously used for aeration, final clarification, and aerobic digestion into facilities for biological nutrient removal. This project highlights how a relatively complex, aging treatment plant can simplify process steps by 31 percent to reduce maintenance and energy requirements, all while repurposing existing infrastructure to reduce construction costs and environmental impacts.

Homeowner Concerns

Private Sewer Service Lines
Each property has a private service line that drains all of the household or business wastewater to the Village’s sewer mains, which typically run under or parallel to streets. The property owner is responsible for the maintenance of the private sewer service line from their home or business up to, and including, the connection to the sewer main.

What should I do if there is a sewage back-up in my home?
If you ever suffer a sewage backup in your home or business (usually in the lowest spot like a floor drain), please call the Public Works Department first (630-350-3435).  Our crews will respond to determine if the cause of the backup is in the sewer main, which could save you time and expense in hiring a plumber. 

If the problem is not in the Village’s sewer main, then you will likely have to work with a plumber to diagnose the problem in your service line.

Sanitary Sewer Blockage
If you are experiencing a sanitary sewer backup at your residence, please call the Public Works Department at (630) 350-3542, during the normal business hours of 7:00 a.m. through 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  After hours, please call 911 to reach central dispatch. A Public Works employee will be dispatched to your home to check the main sewer line for a blockage.  If the main sewer is blocked, the Village will clear the line at no expense to you.