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EPA SSOAP Toolbox Application for Condition and Capacity Assessment of Wastewater Collection Systems
Citation:
Vallabhaneni, S., C. Chan, AND A. SELVAKUMAR. EPA SSOAP Toolbox Application for Condition and Capacity Assessment of Wastewater Collection Systems . Presented at WEF Collection Systems Specialty Conference, Raleigh, NC, June 12 - 15, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
The Nation’s sanitary sewer infrastructure is aging, with some sewers dating back over 100 years. Nationwide, there are more than 19,500 municipal sanitary-sewer collection systems serving an estimated 150 million people and about 40,000 sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) events per year. Aging water infrastructure is currently one of the top national water program priorities and is one of the top priorities of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Rainfall-derived infiltration and inflow (RDII) into sanitary sewer systems has long been recognized as a major source of operating problems that cause poor performance of many sewer systems. In 2002, to assist communities in developing SSO mitigation plans, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. (CDM) to develop a public domain computer toolbox and associated technical reports. The Toolbox is named SSO Analysis and Planning (SSOAP). The CRADA and subsequent EPA contract with CDM have resulted in the following products: 1. “Review of Sewer Design Criteria and RDII Prediction Methods,” EPA Report, EPA/600/R-08/010, January 2008. http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/pubs/600r08010/600r08010.pdf 2. “Computer Tools for Sanitary Sewer System Capacity Analysis and Planning,” EPA Report, EPA/600/R-07/111, October 2007. http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/pubs/600r07111/600r07111.pdf 3. SSOAP Toolbox Version 1.0 released in September 2009. http://www.epa.gov/ednnrmrl/models/ssoap/index.html#download SSOAP contains a suite of integrated computer software tools to facilitate quantification of RDII from rainfall, sewer flow, and sewer system data and perform conveyance capacity analysis using sewer system models including SWMM. Since SSOAP offers an effective means in analyzing monitored flow data to prioritize where to inspect and monitor and to assess the performance of rehabilitation activities, it can be used to design a focused sewer system condition assessment program and maximize the success of field investigation efforts. In addition, SSOAP can be used to support the EPA program offices in adding the capacity, management, operation, and maintenance (CMOM) requirements to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and helps municipalities identify SSO problems and develop a sensible control plan. The enhancement of SSOAP Toolbox is continuing. A number of training workshops have been conducted in selected EPA regions with additional workshops being planned. In addition, EPA continues to provide users support for the toolbox. In addition to a description of SSOAP and the incorporated RDII methodology, this paper will present examples of SSOAP applications for analyzing sanitary sewer capacity and conducting condition assessment, and provide a summary of the completed and planned enhancement.