A MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO CLEAR WATER REDUCTION

The Heart of the Valley Metropolitan Sewerage District provides wastewater conveyance and treatment services to five communities. The District is faced with meeting the challenges of growth coupled with aging infrastructure. In particular, the wastewater conveyance and treatment systems suffer from extreme wet weather-related peak flow events due to excessive clear water that enters the older sewer systems throughout the service area.The District set an aggressive goal of removing at least 30% of the wet weather induced flow. Such a flow reduction is critical, because limited land is available for expanding the existing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and the costs associated with constructing a second WWTP are prohibitive.To accomplish the 30% inflow reduction, the District has embarked on a unique 10-year corroborative program with their service communities. Through a series of workshop meetings, a detailed plan was developed that outlined a multifaceted approach to reducing infiltration and inflow. The plan was organized as a series of specific, measurable and achievable milestone steps.Through multi-jurisdictional cooperation and public and private efforts, the District has set the stage for an aggressive regional clear water reduction. Strategies developed in the program will serve communities as they continue to eliminate sources of inflow and set procedures in place that will help them maintain a proactive position and a properly functioning collection system. Community technical and administrative staff and residents are equally informed and have a unified sense of goals. Continued technical assistance will guide communities through the process and help measure success.