SANITARY SEWER DEVELOPMENT CREDITS PROGRAM — AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ADDRESSING CAPACITY ASSURANCE

In response to EPA enforcement actions, municipal wastewater collection system owners are increasing funding of capital improvement programs to reduce sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in their systems. Conflicting with these abatement projects is the continued growth and development in the community that depletes sewer capacity almost as rapidly as it is being restored by capital improvement projects. The net result is a moving target with respect to capacity assurance and diminishing benefits from SSO abatement projects. At stake is a failure to adequately address capacity issues and risk further EPA enforcement penalties or enact a moratorium on new sewer taps and a virtual stagnation of growth in the community.The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) has implemented a measure to prevent additional flow from new sewer taps aggravating or increasing the quantity of discharge at downstream sanitary sewer overflows. MSD must remove existing clear water in the system prior to authorizing any additional flow to the system through new sewers, sewer extensions, or service connections associated with new development. MSD requires that a minimum of five (5) gallons of flow be removed for every one (1) gallon of flow added from a proposed sewer, sewer extension, or increased flow associated with new development. MSD has established an innovative program with developersto accomplish the District's capacity assurance goals.