Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP)

 

On May 2, 2006, the State Water Resources Control Board issued an Order for statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements (GWDRs) for sanitary sewer systems.  This Order was issued to ensure consistent and comprehensive regulation of publicly-owned sanitary sewer systems throughout the State, and to quantify and reduce sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). 

The GWDRs require all wastewater collection agencies with sanitary sewer systems more than one mile in length to electronically report SSOs to the State Water Resources Control Board and to develop and implement a Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP). The SSMP is a document that details how the agency’s sanitary sewer system is operated, maintained, evaluated, and funded. 

When complete, the SSMP will include eleven elements (Goals; Organization; Overflow Emergency Response Plan; Fats, Oils, and Grease Control Program; Legal Authority; Measures and Activities; Design and Construction Standards; Capacity Management; Monitoring, Measurement, and Program Modifications; SSMP Audits; and Communication Program) representative of a properly managed collection system. 

The deadline for completing the eleven SSMP elements is based upon the population served by the sewage collection system.  For sewage collection systems which serve more than 100,000 people, such as Concord’s, the SSMP must be completed by August 31, 2008.  The schedule for developing the City of Concord’s SSMP is shown below:

Schedule for Developing Concord’s SSMP

  SSMP Element
Deadline
Status
Element 1 Goals
August 31, 2006
Complete
Element 2  -  Organization
Element 3  -  Overflow Emergency Response Plan
Element 4  -  Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) Control Program
Element 5  -  Legal Authority
August 31, 2007
Complete
Element 6  -  Measures and Activities
Element 7  -  Design and Construction Standards
Element 8  -  Capacity Management
August 31, 2008
Under Development
Element 9  -  Monitoring, Measurement, and Program Modifications
Element 10 SSMP Audits
Element 11 Communication Program