Challenges Met and Lessons Learned From Managing a Consent Decree

In 2011, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a consent decree mandating that DeKalb County, Georgia, address a systemic sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) problem. Most of the sewage spills stemmed from congested sewer pipes, made especially vulnerable during wet-weather events.The DeKalb County Division of Watershed Management (DWM) developed a Priority Area Sewer Assessment and Rehabilitation Program (PASARP) to identify, delineate, prioritize, and rehabilitate targeted areas across the county. The program’s overarching goal is to reduce the quantity, frequency, and volume of SSOs.Woolpert enacted a three-tiered approach in 19 designated areas of DeKalb County by providing the following full range of assessment, inspection, and rehabilitation activities:Manhole and pipeline condition assessmentsSmoke testing, dye flooding, and acoustical testing using SL-RAT® technologyPole/zoom camera, closed-circuit television (CCTV), and sonar/TISCIT inspectionsSewer pipeline cleaningBypass pumpingPoint repairs, CIPP (cured-in-place pipe), and full pipeline replacementBecause public interest in this project has run extraordinarily high, timely and skillful public outreach has been critical to its success. The inspection and assessment activities are leading to rehabilitation efforts, which will, in turn, improve the capacity and operational functionality of the sewer system. More than just meeting federal requirements for fewer SSOs, the PASARP program creates a healthier environment in DeKalb County.