A Tale of Two Programs - A Comparison of Two Regional Private Property I/I Abatement Programs

Regional wastewater agencies throughout the United States are faced with the daunting challenge of managing wet weather flows within regulatory expectations. Often these challenges are met by constructing capital improvements that increase conveyance, storage, and treatment capacity, or by reducing peak wet weathers flow through collection system rehabilitation. Typically, rehabilitation is only attempted on the public sewer systems. Two major regional wastewater agencies, Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) of Virginia, and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) of Wisconsin, have each embarked on significant regional programs to address private property sources of infiltration and inflow (I/I). While these two programs share some common characteristics, they also have many differences. The paper will provide a full exploration of the two programs, including how each topic compared was considered during program development and implementation, and how each regional agency ultimately elected to move forward in the interest of making meaningful, measurable progress.