REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
April 7, 2026
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
ANDREW GOLDFRACH, Chief Executive Officer, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Sewer System Management Plan Update for Wastewater Collection System at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Adopt Sewer System Management Plan update for the wastewater collection system located at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.
2. Direct the Department of Public Works to submit the updated Sewer System Management Plan to the State Water Resources Control Board.
(Presenter: David Doublet, Assistant Director, 386-8811)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Foster Sustainable Development Through Strategic Partnerships.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Implementation of the Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP) is a requirement of the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). Sufficient appropriations were included in Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s (ARMC) and County Service Area (CSA) 70 - Countywide’s 2025-26 respective budgets. The cost for preparation of the SSMP, estimated at $39,179, will be paid by CSA 70, and reimbursed by ARMC under terms of the Memorandum of Understanding for Water and Sewer Infrastructure Operations, Preventative Maintenance, Emergency Response and Support Services at ARMC, approved by the Board on May 20, 2025 (Item No. 104).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Public Works - Special Districts, Water and Sanitation Division (Department) provides wastewater collection system operation, treatment, maintenance and management services for ARMC in Colton. A SSMP is a regulatory document that outlines how a wastewater collection system is operated, maintained, and managed to prevent sewer overflows and protect public health and the environment. On March 9, 2021 (Item No. 26), the Board of Supervisors adopted the SSMP for ARMC. The Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order requires agencies to conduct an internal audit of their SSMPs every three years and an update every six years.
To provide a consistent, statewide regulatory approach to address sanitary sewer spills and sanitary sewer overflow, the SWRCB adopted Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer Systems, Water Quality Order No. 2022-0103-DWQ (Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order) on December 6, 2022 and Order No. WQ 2013-0058-EXEC (Statewide Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer System) on September 9, 2013. The Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order requires public agencies that own or operate sanitary sewer systems to develop and implement sewer system management plans and report all sanitary sewer spills to SWRCB’s online California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS) Sanitary Sewer System Database. This item will authorize the Department to update CIWQS with the information for the ARMC wastewater treatment plant and wastewater collection systems required for SSMP implementation. CIWQS is a sanitary sewer overflow database used by the State to collect and store sewer agency facility and organization information, including details of all sanitary sewer overflows that may occur in an agency’s wastewater collection system.
The objective of the SSMP is to provide a plan and schedule to properly manage, operate and maintain all parts of the sanitary sewer system that are consistent with the following goals:
• Maintain or improve the condition of the sewer collection system infrastructure to provide reliable service now and in the future;
• Mitigate infiltration and inflow to adequately provide for sewer capacity and accommodate design storm flow; and
• Minimize the number and impact of any sanitary sewer overflows that may occur.
The updated SSMP for ARMC, which includes updated organizational information, recent spill reporting, and other audit-related updates, will help meet these goals.
Approval of this item will update the ARMC SSMP to fulfill the regulatory requirements set by the SWRCB Order No. 2022-0103-DWQ and Order No. WQ 2013-0058-EXEC regulating statewide general waste discharge requirements for sanitary sewer systems.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Aaron Gest, Deputy County Counsel and Charles Phan, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 27, 2026; ARMC (Andrew Goldfrach, Chief Executive Officer, 580-6150) on March 25, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Dalton, 387-5005 and Jenny Yang, 387-4884, Administrative Analysts) on March 17, 2026.