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National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Additional Resources

On this page:

General Information on SSOs

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Information from EPA Regions

  • Municipal Satellite Collection Systems – Provides the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) decision to uphold a region 1 NPDES permit issued to a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) treatment plant. 
     
  • Region 1 Wastewater Collection System Toolbox – The goal of this site is not to endorse a particular approach, but for managers, local officials, and other decision-makers to find a range of fact sheets, case studies, ordinances, and information.

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Enforcement and Compliance

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Technical Reports and Materials

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Fact Sheets

  • Asset Management for Sewer Collection Systems – Describes how public sewer utilities can achieve multiple goals of protecting and extending the life of sewer system assets, meeting new financial reporting requirements, and abating sanitary sewer overflows or wastewater treatment plant peak flow violations.
     
  • Why Control Sanitary Sewer Overflows? – Describes the causes of SSOs, the impacts to human health and natural resources, economic impacts, and diseases associated with SSOs.
     
  • Financing Capital Improvements for SSO Abatement – Provides communities with useful information to determine which financial mechanisms are best for them. 

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Federal Advistory Committee (FAC)

EPA chartered the Urban Wet Weather Flows Federal Advisory Committee to identify and evaluate water quality issues from municipal wet weather discharges for EPA.

  • Urban Wet Weather Flows Federal Advisory Committee – Members of the committee were divided into two subcommittees to address the development of the Storm Water Phase II program and to develop a framework for addressing the impacts of SSOS.
    • Phase II Storm Water Subcommittee – This Subcommittee examined the need for national consistency in permitting and enforcement, effective sewer operation and maintenance principles, public notification for potential health or environmental dangers and other issues.
    • SSO Policy Dialogue Subcommittee (SSO Subcommittee) – This Subcommittee facilitated working with technical trade organizations, states, and local governments to develop a range of tools and resources for SSO abatement.
    • SSO Subcommittee Meeting in October 1999 – This Subcommittee identified basic principles for NPDES permit requirements to address SSOs. 

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