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...

Click image for a larger view. Photos by Jim Aanderud, SSCSC (Southern Sections Collection Systems Committee of CWEA). All photos posted with permission of the photographer.  

Visit CWEA’s WDR resource page supported by West Coast Safety. According to State Water Board ELAP staff members the decision to require accreditation in specific field of accreditations (FOAs) is determined by the WDR program and ELAP can provide some general guidance. The reason that ELAP has two distinct FOA tables for microbiological methods is because...

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...

Discussions on updating the Sanitary Sewer System regulations have been ongoing over the last four years and after a four-hour State Water Board meeting, the new regulations were approved unanimously, and implementation now begins. Originally implemented in 2006, the reissued Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) was debated and discussed during the December 6th Board meeting in...

After nearly four years of negotiations, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) considered and unanimously adopted the Statewide Sanitary Sewer Systems General Waste Discharge Requirements Order Reissuance (SSS WDR) with late changes on December 6, 2022. The SSS WDR regulates sanitary sewer systems designed to convey sewage longer than one mile...

A press release from the San Diego Regional Water Quality Board… Ten public agencies suspected of discharging human fecal waste into the Lower San Diego River and its tributaries today were ordered to investigate and identify the sources of the harmful material and report the extent of their involvement to the San Diego Water Board....

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...

“Atmospheric River” is a meteorological term coined in the 1990s that’s recently entered common public usage. They are bands of concentrated moisture traveling in the air over a region.  Atmospheric rivers can contain as much moisture as major river, such as the Amazon. On February 5th, the Scripps’ Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes...

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...

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...