What Planning Challenges Face Utility Owners?
Wastewater management planning is grounded in applying civil engineering and supporting sciences to meet future needs through facility planning and operational strategies. In recent years, various interest groups have asserted that water quality improvements could be achieved if wastewater utilities °just performed better,°± not recognizing the limitations of real-world physical systems. In addition, messages on
evaluating regulatory compliance have become less clear and often inconsistent, leaving the wastewater community without adequate guidance on standards for managing wastewater collection and treatment systems. All these factors have added to the performance expectations and risks faced by the utility owners.
How Can Utility Owners Better Manage Peak Wet Weather Performance?
Utilities will be better prepared for the unanticipated challenges, including demonstrating regulatory compliance, by adopting a proactive approach to managing system performance. The approach gaining attention for its success and special application as a management planning practice is a system performance risk analysis. When the risk analysis process combines generally accepted engineering and economic practices the process establishes wastewater collection and treatment planning and design criteria for peak wet weather flow conditions. The risk analysis process provides information on the consequences
of various alternatives, allowing a POTW to determine if additional investment and/or improved O&M will reduce sewerage-related risks to public health, the environment, and level of service.
What is Risk Based Management?
A risk based definition of conveyance and treatment wet weather performance objectives for sanitary sewerage
systems includes major steps to define, implement and assess a wet weather management program. These major steps and their associated activities include: Plan; Design and Install; Operate; Assess and Improve.
