CMOM Programs

Utility failures are never good news.  That includes sewers. WPC is committed to eliminating every sewer system failure possible, in turn providing optimum customer value and protecting our community and environment.  To reach that ambitious goal, WPC has implemented a series of intensive pro-active programs.  Together, the programs are called CMOM – short for “Capacity, Management, Operations and Maintenance”.

WPC uses CMOM programs to keep an eye on conditions in its sewers to prevent failures, as well as to correct problems quickly when a failure does occur.  CMOM has helped WPC reduce sewer overflows substantially, to well below the national average.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – the people who wrote the book on CMOM – agree that WPC’s approach is working in the right direction.  In February 2007, EPA notified WPC that it was meeting the guidelines for CMOM programs.  WPC had submitted its CMOM programs for EPA review in response to a November 2004 letter that EPA sent to every significant sewer system in the Wheeler Lake basin - Arab, Ardmore, Athens, Decatur, Falkville, Gurley, Hartselle, Huntsville, Limestone County, New Hope, Owens Crossroads, Priceville, Triana, and Woodville.

WPC’s CMOM programs include a diverse set of tools for monitoring, finding problems in, and improving the sewer system:

• Flow Monitoring
  WPC has deployed a network of devices to measure flow at key points in our sewers.  By monitoring flow patterns, WPC can detect potential problems and correct them before they become real trouble.
   

• Smoke Testing
  WPC finds pipe leaks hidden underground, as well as illicit storm drain connections, through “smoke testing”.  By blowing a harmless mist (which has the appearance of smoke) into sewers, WPC can locate hidden leaks and illicit connections and take corrective action.
   

• Video Inspection
  WPC gets the inside scoop on its sewers through video inspection.  Closed-circuit TV cameras mounted on robotic crawlers are sent into and through the sewers.  Operators in specially equipped trucks view and record the video, marking the locations of leaks, breaks, or other pipe problems.  WPC then determines an appropriate corrective action.
   

• Root Control
  Roots grow through cracks and clog sewer pipes, and are a significant cause of overflows from our sewers.  Through a contractor, WPC uses a chemical foam to kill intruding roots and prevent regrowth, preventing sewer blockages.
   

• Sewer Rehabilitation
  Repairing the problems found during other CMOM tasks is key to WPC’s program success.  WPC repairs leaks in pipes and manholes with a variety of construction methods.  Some repair methods require digging up the pipe, but others don’t – the pipes are repaired from the inside.

CMOM is a concept originally developed by the EPA to help sewer systems reduce the frequency of sewer overflows.  CMOM was at originally proposed as new federal legislation, but later evolved into part of the permits that sewer agencies must obtain to operate sewer systems and wastewater treatment facilities.

For more information on EPA's CMOM initiative, visit:

• EPA Region 4 MOM site

• EPA Region 5 CMOM site

• Water Environment Federation - "Fat Free Sewers"