How Do You Spell Rehabilitation Success?—SSERP (A Program Approach to Comprehensive Wastewater Collection System Rehabilitation)

Sanitary sewer collection systems are among the largest infrastructure investments made by communities. As such, it is imperative that they are managed, operated, and maintained in a manner that maximizes their serviceable life. In addition to preserving the value of public infrastructure, it is critical that sanitary sewer agencies minimize overflows from these systems. Overflows of domestic and industrial wastes can pose a substantial risk to public health and the environment. Agencies throughout the nation vary widely in their success at achieving these objectives. National and State regulatory and enforcement attention toward sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) has been increasing in recent years. In 2000, Colorado Springs Utilities (Utilities) began the Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Program (SSEP) as a means of assessing the condition of selected wastewater collection system infrastructure components. This program was created to provide comprehensive and systematic evaluation of the sanitary sewer collection system for lift stations, pipe segments greater than 10-inches in diameter, and all stream crossings (including segments less than 10-inches in diameter). The intent of the Program was to develop a comprehensive framework for analyzing the structural integrity and capacity constraints of the sanitary sewer collection system assets and for refining Utilities' preventative maintenance programs. One of the primary goals of the Program was the protection of public health through repair and upgrading of the City's aging wastewater collection system. As the Program began to evolve, identification of the severity and locations of system defects created the need to expand the scope of the Program. In 2002, Utilities expanded the Program and re-named it the Sanitary Sewer Evaluation and Rehabilitation Program (SSERP); this program would assure areas requiring immediate repair would be scheduled and repaired based upon prioritized condition assessments. Annual budgets were established to rehabilitate the most severe defects on a priority basis. Results from the condition and capacity evaluations were used to recommend and implement repair, rehabilitation, monitoring and maintenance programs to minimize risk of future sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs).