This is a reminder that the Sanitary Sewer System Annual Report is due on April 1, 2024, as specified in section 3.9 (Annual Report) of Attachment E1 (Notification, Monitoring, Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements) of the Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order (link: Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order.) General Order, Section 5.11(System Performance Analysis), outlines the requirements for including...

View CWEA’s WDR resource page > After four years of hosting meetings and conducting surveys with the public, wastewater stakeholders, and wastewater agencies, the California State Water Resources Control Board has adopted new regulations affecting more than 1,200 publicly operated collection systems with greater than one mile of sewers discharging to a publicly owned wastewater...

View CWEA’s WDR resource page > In 2017, CWEA started work under a Memorandum of Agreement with the State Water Board to collaborate on providing training for collection system professionals. The collaboration resulted in a series of CWEA workshops, webinars, and events. At the same time, the State Water Board began the process of drafting...

View CWEA’s WDR resource page > Passed in December 2022, the new Sanitary Sewer System General Order incorporates several changes wastewater professionals called for during this update of the 2006 Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR). The new regs include new reporting and planning requirements. They were developed over five years during an exhaustive process involving dozens...

View CWEA’s WDR resource page > In December 2022, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted statewide Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order 2022-0103-DWQ that replaces the existing statewide Order 2006-0003-DWQ as of its effective date of June 5, 2023. The existing Order 2006-0003-DWQ (also referred to as the “WDRs”), and existing regulatory coverage for sewer...

Visit CWEA’s WDR training and resources page > Having been an inspector for the State Water Board’s Office of Enforcement for a decade with over 100 collection system inspections, as well as an independent consultant for more than a dozen years, CWEA members often ask me: What does Emergency Response Plan (ERP) compliance look like?...

The State Water Resources Control Board adopted a statewide Sanitary Sewer System General Order that implements and expands policies to address statewide water infrastructure needs. The new order replaces an existing order and expands regulatory requirements to include privately owned systems, at the discretion of the applicable California Regional Water Quality Control Board. It also...

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board is proposing an agreement with the City and County of San Francisco that would require a $600 million investment to expand the capacity of sewer systems in three low-lying neighborhoods. Sewer overflows in these areas occur frequently after heavy rainstorms, posing risks to human health and...

Don’t miss the AC21 information session discussing the informal staff draft Statewide Sanitary Sewer System General order on Tuesday, June 8 In March, the State Water Board released an informal staff draft Statewide Sanitary Sewer System General Order, sometimes referred to as the Update to the Waste Discharge Requirements or “WDR Update.” The purpose of...

Sancon was contracted by Steve Bubalo Construction company to perform the 48” cured-in-place-pipeliner for Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts project. Scope of the project included CIPP lining of 595 LF of 48” CIPP, a portion of which, was through a siphon. Over the course of the job, multiple installations were performed to comply with LACSD and...

From the State Water Board… The City of Mount Shasta has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle an Administrative Civil Liability complaint for multiple sanitary sewer overflows from its collection system and for violating effluent limitations at its wastewater treatment plant. The overflows, which occurred between October 2014 and April 2017, primarily were caused...

DKF Solutions Group has announced the upcoming release of a new reference guide for wastewater collection workers titled “Notes from the Field: Practical Tips and Best Practices for Collection System Operators.” The book was written in collaboration with leading industry experts Andy Morrison, Lenny Rather, and Sam Rose. Wastewater Collection System Operators often become frustrated...

As more municipalities turn to wastewater monitoring for early detection of COVID-19, these three companies are uniquely positioned to provide an end-to-end solution to improve the process. In-Situ is a leading manufacturer of environmental water monitoring equipment and serves the wastewater monitoring market through its ChemScan line of analyzers and related products. GT Molecular, has developed a...

View all wipes stories > California’s sewers were built to handle pee, poo and toilet paper, but increasingly they’re being called upon to carry an ever-growing array of plastics and trash people flush down the toilet. Wastewater systems across California, and around the world, are becoming solid waste debris conveyance systems. Condoms, feminine hygiene products,...

Info from CDPH safety bulletin issued May 2020… Background The use of CIPP for sewer line and culvert rehabilitation is widespread throughout the country and abroad. Styrene-based resins are the most widely used. There is a possibility for chemical releases with CIPP processes. In addition to styrene, recent studies have shown numerous volatile chemicals being...

By Sam Rose, Superintendent, South Placer Municipal Utility District About South Placer Municipal Utility District  South Placer Municipal Utility District (District) is a sewer collection system agency that was founded in 1956 and serves the City of Rocklin, Town of Loomis, the communities of Penryn, Newcastle and a portion of Granite Bay, California.  Its service area is 31 square miles with a population...

  COVID-19 in CA free Webinar – Collection Systems and Coronavirus Pandemic was held on Wednesday, April 15th. The webinar is supported by HDR. Phil Scott and Sergio Ramirez are utility leaders with the West Bay Sanitary District in the Bay Area. They discuss the procedures and PPE protections their agency is using. They discuss...

Written and photography by: Senior Airman Colville McFee, 9th Reconnaissance Wing Beale Air Force Base, Calif. – The 9th Civil Engineering Squadron (9CES) provides many skills and mission essential aspects such as, airfield maintenance, fire emergency services, explosive ordnance disposal and utility system construction to name few around the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. With the COVID-19 pandemic...

News from California manufacturer SmartCover. SmartCover Offering a COVID-19 Relief Package Remote Sewer Monitoring at NO COST In response to the strain on collection systems, staff and resources,  SmartCover is providing a COVID-19 Relief Package to make remote sewer asset monitoring available at no charge. During this time of uncertainty, our role as public health...

Announcement from the State Water Resources Control Board While the State Water Board and other public agencies encourage Californians to follow the Centers for Disease Control recommendations to clean surfaces with disinfecting wipes to reduce the spread of COVID-19, it is important to discard those items in the trash, not the toilet. Flushing wipes, paper towels and...

View CWEA’s round-up of Coronavirus (COVID-19) worker safety information here > On 3/17/20 OSHA released new guidance for COVID-19 and workplace safety. Download the OSHA guidance > There is not specific water/wastewater worker safety in this guidebook, but there is detailed info on workplace safety. They’ve broken guidance into workplace categories based on exposure risk:...

Article from Pete DeMarco, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Research at IAPMO. Pete looks at the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) from one person to another on different floors of a Hong Kong high-rise. Sadly, with the current coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong, history seems to have repeated itself. According to the Associated Press, a 2016...

View CWEA’s round-up of Coronavirus (COVID-19) worker safety information here > From the World Health Organization This Technical Brief supplements existing IPC documents by referring to and summarizing WHO guidance on water, sanitation and health care waste which is relevant for viruses (including coronaviruses). This Technical Brief is written in particular for water and sanitation...

From ABC7 San Francisco. Featuring CWEA member Eileen White, Director of Wastewater for EBMUD. 

AC20 HOT TOPIC PREVIEW THURSDAY TRACK: Winning the Fight Against “Flushable” Wipes! November 21, 2019 The Honorable Alan Lowenthal United States House of Representatives The Honorable Tom Udall United States Senate Dear Senator Udall and Representative Lowenthal: On behalf of the undersigned coalition of public agencies providing wastewater, water recycling and biosolids management services in...

When I was a youngster growing up in Los Angeles, my family had a neighbor and friend who was an engineer working for the City of Los Angeles.  “Bud”, as he liked to be called, told a story of how one of the main sewers in Los Angeles was inspected by boat.  He described how...

Robert Gerena, Utilities O&M Supervisor, City of Hayward  How did you get your first job in the wastewater sector?  After getting out of the Navy, I worked for the federal government at Camp Pendleton as a Boiler Plant Operator. I saw that as a dead-end job and looked for a way to a different career path. I...

Kevin Street, City of Riverside Public Works Department, Wastewater Division  How did you get your first job in the wastewater sector?  My first career oriented job was with a local air pollution control district. It afforded me the opportunity to inspect and become familiar with wastewater treatment plant processes and equipment. Wastewater quickly piqued my interest; it...

    How did you get your first job in the wastewater sector?   My entry into the wastewater sector was very unconventional.  I had been working for the City of Long Beach Water Department as the Procurement Officer for a few years already in 2014. The Sewer Superintendent was about to retire and my boss at...

Dave A. Alaskin Sanitation District Maintenance & Operations Supervisor Sacramento Area Sewer District  How did you get your first job in the wastewater sector?  I got my first job in the wastewater industry as an intermittent employee to help out in Sacramento’s busy season and got picked up as a permanent employee seven months later. I...

SmartCover® is a leading technology provider specializing in wastewater solutions. The primary goal of every sewer system operator is to keep sewage out of the environment. SmartCover serves this mission through a suite of technology that gathers and monitors sewer pipeline data, performs analytics, and provides real-time reports to enable wastewater operators with reliable, actionable decisions...

This article is reprinted with permission by Tunnel Business Magazine. Most large urban areas depend on interceptor sewers to convey sewage from subdivisions and suburbs to the treatment facilities. Whether the interceptor drains city neighborhoods or a neighboring town’s collection system, the pipe is large and usually deep. In an area like Los Angeles, interceptor...

Smart Cover Systems case study, republished here with permission… Profile: The City of Rohnert Park’s sewer system has two primary functions which are to first collect the City’s wastewater and then to transport it to the Subregional Water Reclamation System of Santa Rosa for treatment. The City’s sanitary sewer system includes 83 miles of gravity...

By Nicole Lygo Envirosight Artificial intelligence is spreading across every area of our lives, from ride-sharing apps to spam filters to smart personal assistants. In the last few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has also seeped into the wastewater industry in the form of automated defect coding. AI promises major benefits over traditional operator inspection, mostly...

The Collection Systems Committee held another successful mid-year meeting this past July in Morro Bay. You can download the presentations here:  

You never know what you will find when researching CWEA’s history!  The following article describes how researching the development of CWEA’s Local Sections and collection systems maintenance training led to finding an unexpected classic Hollywood “A-List” connection to our Association. A Certification Question The CWEA History Committee elected to use the following old collection system...

Originally published on LinkedIn, reprinted here with permission… Ahhh. That feeling that comes over you when you come home after a hard days work, plopping yourself onto that every so comfy couch that envelops all of your achy tired bones. Your twin toddlers come running out of the rear of the house, screaming with joy...

  This article was produced and published by the Water Education Foundation as part of its Western Water news. The Foundation can be found at www.watereducation.org. Our thanks to WEF for permission to republish their article. By Gary Pitzer Water Education Foundation WESTERN WATER NOTEBOOK: Lower flows damage equipment, concentrate waste and stink up neighborhoods;...

Upcoming events: CWEA’s annual WDR training workshops will be held in May. Workshops will be held in San Ramon (May 8th); San Luis Obispo (May 15th); and Los Angeles (May 22nd).  One of the most talked-about topics is the update to the Statewide Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order.  The State Water Board is holding five...

Coverage of asset management topics is supported by MentorAPM  November 14th, 2018 Uncovering Sewer Laterals: How to Optimize Your Lateral Strategy Managing sewer laterals is challenging. Learn about the “Lateral Strategy Toolbox”, hear agency stories about success and challenges, and find ways to maximize the benefits of improving laterals – while balancing the impacts to...

Coverage of asset management topics is supported by MentorAPM CUWA Survey Reveals Seriousness of Issues If your water or wastewater utility hasn’t already experienced impacts from declining flows, you may want to prepare for them in the future.  That recommendation comes from the California Urban Water Agencies (CUWA) following a survey of water management agencies it conducted around the state. Of 270...

Two collection system leaders discuss the importance of certification and the role training and technology have in the massive reduction in Sanitary Sewer Overflows. Daryl Lauer is the Collections Superintendent for Carmel Area Wastewater District the Chair of CWEA’s Collection Systems Committee. Ken Merkle is the Senior Collection Systems Supervisor for the City of Stockton...

The much-anticipated Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade (RESCU) program begins construction soon at Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW). Beginning in July, SVCW will break ground for the Front of the Plant (FoP) facilities and the gravity pipeline tunnel, culminating four years of planning and design to rehabilitate the agency’s aging infrastructure and facilities. The first...

Coverage of the wipes issue is supported by Aqualitec. Press release from INDA… INDA and EDANA, the leading global trade associations representing consumer wipes manufacturers and supply chains, announce publication of an update to their strict guidelines for labeling of non-flushable wipes and for assessing the flushability of disposable nonwoven wipes. New Labeling Guidance for Non-Flushables...

Press release from NASSCO… The University of Texas at Arlington Research Team Found Existing Literature on Chemical Emissions of Styrenated CIPP Non-conclusive A four-month study on the review of published literature pertaining to chemical emissions of styrene-based resin used in the cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) process found that existing studies do not adequately capture worker exposures...

Recently the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board announced that the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and five East Bay communities will be assessed $389,300 in penalties for violating the terms of a 2014 settlement designed to prevent untreated sewage from entering San Francisco Bay. “East...

Coverage of the wipes issue is supported by Aqualitec. Ten years have passed since the fierce battle began to wipe out sewer clogging wipes. How close are we to a solution? Sadly, not close. Mainstream wet wipes were introduced in the early 2000s for cleaning and as a “flushable” wipe. They’ve become a major challenge...

This story was originally posted on the Woodard & Curran blog.  CWEA’s coverage of wipes issues is supported by Aqualitec.  Those of us who have witnessed the destruction non-woven wipes are having on our pipes and pumps understand the impact a simple word like ‘flushable’ can have. Since the mid-2000’s, the wastewater industry has been battling...

The Water Environment Federation (Alexandria, Va.) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (Washington, D.C.) filed an amicus brief in support of a District of Columbia law to regulate disposable wipes. This law, the Nonwoven Disposable Products Act of 2016, aims to protect sewer systems from backups by requiring a regulation that defines the...

CWEA’s coverage of safety issues is supported by ehs inc. Heart-breaking news from Illinois – a 22-year old working on a sewer re-lining project was killed when the liner collapsed around him. He was 20′ underground, possibly cutting out sewer laterals. The pipe diameter was estimated to be around 20-24″. The construction worker’s name is...

INTRODUCTION: A subcommittee of the Orange County Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) Collection Systems Steering Committee (Committee) was formed to look at the current Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) program being implemented in central and northern (Northern) Orange County. The current FOG program is over ten years old and has continued to be improved over that...

Significant Risk of Flooding in Northern California Flood Preparedness and Response Tools for Water Utilities Widespread flooding can cause major power outages and damage to drinking water and wastewater utilities. EPA has developed tools to help you mitigate the threat of flooding and take action during an emergency. You can use the resources below to increase your overall...

At the June 29, 2017 LABS dinner meeting, Russ Vakharia of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) gave a presentation on the construction of a 7.5-foot inside diameter (ID) replacement sewer in metropolitan Los Angeles County. The talk highlighted the many challenges encountered during the construction, including tunneling under public and private property, tunneling...

  As the problem of “flushable” wipes clogging sewer pipes and pumps gets worse – every sewer agency is on its own in developing a public outreach campaign to share with people exactly what they should and should not flush down the toilet. Clogged sewer lines were becoming a challenge for City of Santa Rosa crews, so their...

  This series of workshops was organized by CWEA’s Collection System Committee in partnership with the State Water Board. The workshops were held in Manteca, Long Beach and Dublin in February 2017. Today, sewer professionals are under extreme pressure – regulations, maintenance and impacts from the drought and sudden storms. CWEA along with the State...

At this year’s Annual Conference in San Diego a room packed with wastewater professionals listened intently as a panel of experts provided updates on wipes, rags, pills and other debris getting flushed down the toilet. What’s being done to bring this nightmare to an end? The panel of experts agreed we saw some major breakthroughs...

Support for coverage of safety issues in provided by ehs  According to a Purdue Engineering Department study released last month there are potentially volatile organic compounds and other toxic gasses in the steam venting from the cured-in-place-pipe process. Are workers and the public safe? From Purdue’s news release:  New research is calling for immediate safeguards...