REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 9, 2026
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Special Districts
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Sewer System Management Plans Updates for the San Bernadino County Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center Wastewater Collection System
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Adopt the Sewer System Management Plans Updates for the wastewater collection system located at the San Bernardino County Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center.
2. Direct the Department of Public Works to submit the updated Sewer System Management Plans to the State Water Resources Control Board.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
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 Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as adopting the Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP) updates are non-financial in nature. Sufficient appropriations were included in Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator’s (Sheriff) and County Service Area (CSA) 70 - Countywide’s 2025-26 respective budgets. The cost for the preparation of the SSMP will be paid by CSA 70, and reimbursed by Sheriff under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, Agreement No. 23-444, approved by the Board of Supervisors (Board) on May 23, 2023 (Item No.105).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Public Works - Special Districts, Water and Sanitation Division (Department) provides operation, maintenance, and management to various CSA wastewater collections systems in a manner consistent with the requirements of all federal and state regulatory agencies.
This item seeks approval to adopt updated SSMPs for Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center (GHRC) in compliance with State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) requirements. A SSMP is a regulatory document that establishes the policies, procedures, and activities needed to operate, maintain, and improve the sewer system, reduce the risk of spills and overflows, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, which require agencies to conduct an internal audit of their SSMPs every three years and provide an update every six years.
On December 6, 2022, the SWRCB adopted the reissued Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order, with the effective date of June 5, 2023. This included an extension to submit audits and updates due to additional criteria in the general order. Approval of this item will update the SSMPs to be compliant with SWRCB Order No. 2022-0103-DWQ and Order No. WQ 2013-0058-EXEC regulating statewide general waste discharge requirements for sanitary sewer systems within the new timeframes.
To provide a consistent, statewide regulatory approach to address sanitary sewer spills and sanitary sewer overflow, 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 SSMPs and report all sanitary sewer spills to the SWRCB’s online California Integrated Water Quality System Sanitary Sewer System Database. As part of its duties, the Department is responsible for the establishment of a SSMP for each wastewater collection system greater than one mile in length, to meet the SWRCB requirements.
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. The SSMP is established to be 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 SSMPs for GHRC, which included updated organizational information, recent spill reporting, and audit-related updates, will help meet these goals.
On December 5, 2017 (Item No. 57), the Board adopted the SSMPs for the wastewater collection system located in GHRC.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Sophie Curtis and Grace B. Parsons, Deputies County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 30, 2026; Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator (Carolina Mendoza, Chief Deputy Director, 387-3762) on April 30, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Erika Rodarte and Matthew Dalton, Administrative Analysts, 387-5005) on May 20, 2026.