That the City Council and Utility Authority:
A.  Review the 2025 Sewer System Management Plan Update; and,

B.  APPROVE AND ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. CC 2025-__ AND UA 2025-__ ENTITLED: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LA HABRA, CALIFORNIA, AND THE LA HABRA UTILITY AUTHORITY APPROVING AND ADOPTING A SEWER SYSTEM MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE.

Sewage is untreated or partially treated domestic, municipal, commercial and/or industrial waste, and any mixture of these wastes with inflow or infiltration of stormwater or groundwater, conveyed in a sanitary sewer system.  A spill is a discharge of sewage from any portion of a sanitary sewer system due to a sanitary sewer system spill, operational failure, and/or infrastructure failure.  Sewage and its associated wastewater spilled from a sanitary sewer system may threaten public health, beneficial uses of waters of the State, and the environment.

On May 2, 2006, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopted Order No. 2006-003-DWQ (Order) which established General Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) for all publicly owned/operated sanitary sewer collection systems within the State of California.  The WDRs require that owners and operators of sewer collection systems: 1) report sanitary sewer spills in the California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS), an electronic reporting system developed by the SWRCB, and 2) develop and implement a Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP).  The goal of the SSMP is to provide a plan and schedule to: (1) properly manage, operate, and maintain all parts of the sanitary sewer system, (2) reduce and prevent spills, and (3) contain and mitigate spills that do occur.  In accordance with Order No. 2006-003-DWQ, the City developed an SSMP which was approved by La Habra City Council in August 2009.  

On July 30, 2013, the SWRCB adopted Order No. WQ 2013-0058-EXEC amending the monitoring and reporting procedures listed in the original Order.

On December 6, 2022, the SWRCB adopted Order No. WQ 2022-0103-DWQ (General Order), which updated the requirements of the 2006 WDR and the 2013 amendment.  The General Order requires updates to the SSMP every six (6) years after the required due date of the permittee's last Plan update (2019), and an internal audit of the SSMP at a minimum frequency of once every three years.  Subsequently, this 2025 SSMP update will address the findings of the most recent City of La Habra audits that were conducted in 2022 and 2025.  To meet this objective, staff partnered with EEC Environmental to develop an updated SSMP.  EEC has conducted previous audits of La Habra's SSMP and plays an active role in the City's Fats, Oils, and Grease Program.

Staff recommends adopting Resolution No. CC 2025-____ and UA 2025-____ to comply with the requirements established by the SWRCB.  Following adoption, staff will upload the updated SSMP and resolution to the CIWQS electronic reporting system prior to the City's August 2, 2025, compliance deadline.

The cost of funding updates to the Sewer System Management Plan is $10,000.  There is sufficient funding in the Utility Authority's FY 2025-2026 Budget to support the cost of the plan development. There is no impact to the General Fund.