Page 18 - Builder Brief November 2021 Issue

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY ASKING BUILDERS TO HELP IN EFFORT TO REDUCE UNAUTHORIZED DISCHARGES
The San Antonio River Authority is a wastewater provider on the east side of Bexar County serving communities in San Antonio, Converse, Live Oak, Universal City and Schertz since 1966. With the rapid development occurring within our Martinez IV service area, the River Authority is working to keep up with demand. In fact, our Martinez IV wastewater treatment plant, which was commissioned in 2019 for a permitted flow of 0.25 million gallons per day (MGD), is already under construction and being expanded to a permitted flow of 2.0 MGD in order to meet this demand. Ten years ago, in 2011, the River Authority activated a total of 383 connections for the entire year. In a single week in September of 2021, the River Authority received requests for service for over 2,000 connections.
With this rapid growth, the River Authority is experiencing an increase in Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs). SSOs are unauthorized discharges from the collection system (pipes, manholes or cleanouts) which can cause harm to both the public and the environment. These unauthorized discharges must be reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and are subject to fines and potential legal action.
Year to date, the River Authority has experienced 15 SSOs due to construction debris in the collection system, which is a 500 percent increase from a typical year. This debris consists of rocks, dirt, gravel, broken PVC pipe, and plumbers plugs. This construction debris typically enters the system through broken cleanouts after the tie-in connection is made. The debris either builds up in the lateral and escapes through the cleanout or gets pushed into the main pipe and spills from the manholes. The River Authority Utilities team responds to reports of backups or spills, work to restore service, and mitigate any site damage.
Time spent restoring services, cleaning the collection system, and performing site restoration for spills is a costly endeavor. Remediating issues in very new areas results in less time and resources to ensure the operation of our full wastewater collection system. The River Authority determines the cause of the spill or backup
and the responsible party to recuperate some of these lost resources. These charges are based on rates defined annually by the River Authority and are assessed on the responsible party (typically the home builder). Past fines from 2021 have ranged from $1,500 to $17,300.
To reduce the occurrences of SSOs due to construction debris, the River Authority is requiring that once a home is connected to the collection system, the 6” cleanout stays buried until the house nears final construction completion. We are looking for feedback on this process update and other strategies to mitigate SSOs caused by construction debris.
The River Authority is working to maintain a process that doesn’t hinder development but allows us to meet our regulatory requirements, be good stewards of the environment, and provide excellent wastewater service. Please send all questions, concerns and general feedback to UtilitiesDevelopment@sariverauthority.org. Visit our website at www.sara-tx.org/services/utilities/ utilities-development and join our email list to receive updates on development in our service area.
18 NOVEMBER 2021 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION