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Getting From Here To
There
Your Guide To Selecting The Best Wastewater Treatment
Management and Operations Option For Your Community
Each day in the United States, billions of gallons of
domestic, commercial, and industrial wastewaters contaminated
with a variety of pollutants flow through-sewers to more than
16,000 publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs). Since 1970, over
$500 billion of public funds have been invested in providing safe
and reliable wastewater services to 70 percent of the nation's
population and more than 99 percent of the urban population.
Owning and operating a wastewater treatment and collection system
is a daunting responsibility that requires long-term financial
commitment and planning. With cutbacks in federal and state
funding support, local communities are faced with the increasing
financial burden of operating these facilities. Nationally, water
and wastewater projects represent one of the largest local
government expenditures — over $43.5 billion annually.
In light of local budget constraints, aging equipment and
infrastructure increased regulatory demands, and the public
perception that municipal services are too expensive and
inefficient, many municipalities realize that they must find a
better way to operate their POTW. Many municipalities have tried
to solve these challenges by contracting with an outside
organization (usually a private, for-profit firm) to perform all
or some portion of the operations and maintenance functions for
the POTW. Within this option, another scenario that is playing
out with increased success is a process called "managed
competition," whereby the public utility explores new ways
to reorganize its operation while continuing to carrying out its
traditional functions in-house.
Ultimately, the wastewater services solution that you choose for
your municipality should be one that best suits the unique set of
conditions in your municipality. The process that you use to
arrive at that solution requires that you take stock of where you
are now as well as all the things you need to consider in order
to get to where you need to be. This booklet points out some key
things you need to consider as you go through this process. If,
as a result of this process, you decide to go the contract
operations route (currently the most common wastewater services
procurement option), this booklet also provides you with
information about managing the procurement process for contract
operations and ensuring that our contract is carried out as
agreed.
A Community Commitment
Before entering into the process of determining
the future direction of your municipal wastewater treatment
operation, be sure that your community, as a whole, is aware of
the issues associated with this decision and is committed to
finding a solution that will ensure that the facility is well run
and in compliance with federal/state National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements. To help meet the
goals of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), to "restore and
maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the
nation's waters." the act requires municipalities to obtain
an NPDES permit for any discharge into a water body. In this
regard, no matter who is running your wastewater services
operation, your municipality is still responsible for meeting the
NPDES permit requirements.
As you explore and deliberate your POTW operations and management
options, keep in mind that your community's foremost
responsibility, along with the United States Environmental
Protection Agency and your state environmental protection agency,
is to meet environmental requirements and protect the public
health and welfare.
What Are the Federal and State Environmental Agency Roles?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has responsibility for ensuring that POTWs are operated cost-effectively and benefit the community and the environment, no