THE CMOM PROCESS IN SMALLER BITES: CMOM “LITE”

Although the EPA has not issued final CMOM guidelines, wastewater agencies are ready to make a move towards compliance. Agencies are also eager to gain the valuable assessments and action plans developed in a CMOM program to ultimately reduce their sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and to create comprehensive maintenance and compliance programs. Yet the process to address CMOM seems expensive and overwhelming, especially for agencies managing older systems that may not be fully mapped or assessed.An approach called “CMOM Lite” provides a manageable, phased approach for any size wastewater agency. Depending on the size and complexity of the sewer collection system, agencies can begin evaluating their systems for as little as 25,000 compared with a much higher price for multi-day, facilitated workshops used in other approaches. With CMOM Lite, two oneday workshops yield planning documents and priorities created by the agency staff themselves.With this simpler option, some utilities have elected to start this evaluation process without waiting for a regulatory mandate. Using CMOM Lite, one water/wastewater utility in central Florida has already completed valuable assessment work and has developed a CMOM Plan and CMOM Framework for the future. By acting now, agencies like this one can develop customized programs on their own timelines.This paper describes a CMOM Lite Tool Kit suitable for all wastewater agencies and information about the approach used for the central Florida utility. Program aspects presented will include establishing the assessment team, developing the evaluation process framework, and evaluating operations and maintenance (O & M) processes. Gap closure analysis and strategies, CMOM program development, and information management will also be presented.