STEP/STEF Systems

If your sewer alarm goes off during our regular business hours of 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday please call the Operations Center at 360-817-1563, or City Hall at 360-834-6864. After hours, weekends or holidays call our monitoring service at 360-737-0592.

What You Need To Know About Your STEF or STEP System

If your home or business has a septic tank on the property, it is tied into the City of Camas sewer main as a part of the municipal wastewater treatment system. Solids collect in the septic tanks, and are pumped every 6-10 years by the City. The wastewater is filtered and sent out to the wastewater system. Residents can protect the wastewater treatment system, home plumbing systems, and the environment by not flushing items that do not degrade readily. Even products that claim to be "flushable", such as wipes, or feminine hygiene products, are not suitable for septic tanks or wastewater systems because they do not break down. Please flush wisely to protect pipes and the environment.

Septic Tank Effluent Pumping Systems (STEP)
The “STEP system” means a sanitary sewage system which utilizes a high head pump, alarms, and a control panel to pump grey water from a collection tank into pressurized mainlines.