Motion to Finalize Scope of Proposed Work Fairview/Grand Sewer Project

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APPENDIX A GENERAL BACKGROUND: Administrative Consent Order In 2012,the United States Environmental Protection Agency(US EPA)served Decatur with an Administrative Consent Order(ACO),requiring the City to eliminate overflows and reduce basement backups. Staff retained outside legal counsel with expertise and direct experience in US EPA administration of the Clean Water Act. With the assistance of outside counsel and AECOM,extensive negotiations between the City and the US EPA resulted in the US EPA's issuance of an ACO that was greatly limited in scope compared to the initial Order. This was in large measure due to the City's ongoing commitment to improving its sanitary sewer systems, and its good faith efforts to negotiate a reasonable ACO with the US EPA. The Administrative Consent Order's major requirements include: 1. The development of a Capacity Management,Operations,and Maintenance(CMOM) program. The CMOM program provides a comprehensive review of the City's sewer collection system,including system management,maintenance,and capital improvement funding. The City's CMOM program was approved by the USEPA on May 1,2018 and has been implemented as required by the ACO. 2. The preparation of a Sewer Collection System Alternatives Analysis(SCSAA)for areas identified to be experiencing Sanitary Sewer Overflows(SSOs)and sewer back-ups during storm events. This analysis is focused on keeping storm water from entering into the separate sanitary sewer system and to better manage stormwater entering the combined sewer system. US EPA Administrative Consent Order Status The current version of the City's Sanitary Sewer Collection System Analysis(SCSAA)identified four top priority areas of the City experiencing high inflow and infiltration during storm events. It should be noted that these are not the only areas in the City with high rain induced sewer problems but these are the highest priority areas. 1. North Lost Bridge Area 2. Florian Avenue Area 3. Grand and Oakland Area(Basin 5&6 in the SCSAA) 4. Ellen/Division Area The Oakland and Grand area was identified in the SCSAA due to its history of wet weather basement backups. The predominant cause of basement backups in the area is the combined sanitary sewers where both sanitary sewage and storm water are carried in the same pipe. Combined sewers serve nearly 40%of the City,mostly in the older areas. The City has not received any correspondence regarding the SCSAA from the USEPA since the current version was submitted on November 30,2017. The plan has still not received final approval;however,following discussions with the City Council in the fall of 2020,it was determined to move forward in addressing the known sewer problems. Page 14