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Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Priority:
Clean Water Act: Combined Sewer Overflows
National Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Priorities
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Strategy Summary || Online Resources
The Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) national priority strategy aims to achieve maximum compliance with environmental regulations in order to protect human health and the environment. Combined sewer systems are designed to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. During periods of rainfall or snow melt, the wastewater volume in a combined sewer system can exceed the capacity of the system or treatment plant. When the capacity is exceeded, the excess wastewater flows directly into nearby streams, rivers or other water bodies, which may violate water quality standards. These overflows, called combined sewer overflows (CSOs), contain not only storm water but also untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials and debris. The EPA's "Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Policy" set a 1997 deadline for combined sewer systems to meet nine minimum controls (NMCs). They are also required to develop and implement long-term CSO control plans (LTCPs) that will ultimately result in compliance with the requirements of the Clean Water Act. A significant number of communities with CSOs have not implemented the NMCs, do not have a LTCP in place. Given the scope and the serious impact of overflows, addressing CSOs as an OECA national priority has the potential to result in increased compliance and significant human health and environmental benefits.
Strategy Summary
For each of the national priority areas, EPA has developed a strategy designed to achieve specific goals. The Clean Water Act: Combined Sewer Overflows Strategy Summary of 2008 - 2010 (PDF) (2 pp, 16K, About PDF) contains a description of the environmental problem or noncompliance problem; why the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance is addressing the problem; how the problem will be addressed; and, highlights the progress made by the Clean Water Act: Combined Sewer Overflows Strategy Summary of 2005 - 2007 (PDF) (4pp, 35.8K,About PDF). Information on combined sewer overflows compliance is also available.
Online Resources
EPA has identified over 400 links to online compliance and enforcement resources that may be helpful in implementing these performance-based strategies. These links can be accessed through the Compliance Assurance Resources Compendium for Fiscal Year 2008 - 2010 National Enforcement and Compliance Priorities (PDF) (60pp, 775K,About PDF), current as of February 2008, is also available.