This is the Engage Ann Arbor site for the city's Sanitary Sewer Collection System Comprehensive Plan (SSCSCP)

This project will strategically plan and budget for sanitary sewer system improvements necessary to adequately transport wastewater flows to the wastewater treatment plant

What is a Sanitary Comprehensive Plan?

The Sanitary Sewer Collection System Comprehensive Plan (SSCSCP) will identify areas within the sanitary sewer system with anticipated capacity constraints and will recommend associated system improvements to convey the projected flows. The SSCSCP will also provide a phasing strategy for implementation of the recommended improvements. The City’s SSCSCP will consider in its analysis both existing wastewater flows and future wastewater flows from projected growth and densification that are anticipated to occur over the next 20 years. An evaluation of policies and funding strategies will also be completed as part of this project to support implementation of the recommended system improvements and to serve as a foundation for a future capital cost recovery plan.

What topics will the Sanitary Comprehensive Plan focus on?

• Flow metering data analysis
• Sanitary sewer hydraulic model update and calibration
• Evaluation of projected growth from City’s stakeholders
• Evaluation of system performance under existing and future flow conditions
• Development of recommended system improvements, cost estimates, and an associated phasing strategy for implementation, to convey existing and future wastewater flows
• Assessment of lift station and wastewater treatment plant capacities to convey existing and future wastewater flows
• Development of a comprehensive and user-friendly wastewater plan for adequately conveying projected future wastewater flows from anticipated growth
• Development of recommended policies and funding strategies to support implementation of the recommended system improvements and to serve as a foundation for a future capital cost recovery plan

• The City's Comprehensive Plan Webpage
  • The City is currently in the process of developing a Comprehensive Plan that provides an indication of anticipated future land use throughout the City. The development of this Plan involved a robust community engagement effort that considered input from the City’s residents and stakeholders. A draft version of the Comprehensive Plan is being used to estimate future growth and the associated future wastewater flows as part of the Sanitary Sewer Collection System Comprehensive Plan project. The estimated future wastewater flows will be input into the hydraulic model to evaluate the sanitary sewer system’s performance under anticipated future conditions. Additional information related to the City’s Comprehensive Plan can be found at this link.
• The City's Comprehensive Water Distribution Plan Webpage
  • The City is undergoing a concurrent project to update its Comprehensive Water Distribution Plan which will identify water distribution system improvements necessary to maintain a resilient water system and to allow the City to continue to provide a high level of service to its existing and future water customers. This project is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2025. Additional information related to the Comprehensive Water Distribution Plan Update project can be found at this link.
• Developer Offset Mitigation (DOM) Program Webpage
  • A key component of the Sanitary Sewer Collection System Comprehensive Plan is to identify opportunities to reduce the amount of stormwater that enters into the sanitary sewer system. A significant source of inflow into the sanitary sewer system is connected footing drains. In many homes and structures built before 1981, footing drains discharged directly to the sanitary sewer. Given that footing drains only collect groundwater and rainwater, disconnecting footing drains from the sanitary sewer system will reduce the amount of stormwater that enters into the sanitary sewer system thereby improving the system’s flow capacity. Through the City’s Developer Offset Mitigation (DOM) Program, new developments that will add flow to the City’s sanitary sewer system are required to effect a net reduction in overall flow to the sanitary sewer system. This reduction in overall flow contribution can be achieved in several ways, one of which includes disconnecting a building’s footing drains from the sanitary sewer system. If you are interested in participating in the City’s DOM Program, additional information can be found at this link.
• The City's Basement and Sump Pump Webpage
  • Most structures that have had their footing drains disconnected from the sanitary sewer system now have sump pumps installed that pump flow collected from footing drains away from the building to the yard or stormwater system. A wealth of information including guides and learning videos on sump pump operation and maintenance best practices can be found at the bottom of the page at the following link.