FOREWORD
In 1947, a "Committee on Development of Uniform Standards for Sewage Works" was created
by the group now known as the Great Lakes - Upper Mississippi River Board of State and
Provincial Public Health and Environmental Managers. This Committee, composed of a
representative from each of the ten states, was assigned the responsibility to review existing
standards for sewage works, to investigate the possibility of preparing joint standards to be
adopted by the states represented, and to report its findings to the Board.
Based on this initial report, the Board authorized the Committee to prepare sewage works design
standards, which were first published in 1951. They subsequently were revised and published
again in 1960, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1978, 1990, 1997, and 2004. In 1977, the Province of Ontario
was invited, as a Great Lakes participant, to serve on the Committee.
These standards have again been revised and are published herein as the 2014 edition. They are
intended for use as a guide in the design and preparation of plans and specifications for
wastewater facilities insofar as these standards are applicable to normal situations for an
individual project.
The design criteria in these standards are intended for the more conventional municipal
wastewater collection and treatment systems. Innovative approaches to collection and treatment,
particularly for the very small municipal systems, are not included. The individual reviewing
authority should be contacted for design guidance and criteria where such systems are being
considered.
Lack of description or criteria for a unit process or equipment in these standards does not suggest
it should not be used, but only that consideration by the reviewing authority will be on the basis
of information submitted with the design. Engineering data that may be required for new process
and application evaluation is included in Paragraph 53.2 of these standards. The contingency
planning requirement in Paragraph 11.28(j) is intended to help users determine potential risk in
meeting standards of performance on a long term basis, and to help determine the stage of
development for technologies satisfying the criteria of Paragraph 53.2.
These standards are intended to suggest limiting values for items upon which an evaluation of the
plans and specifications will be made by the reviewing authority; and to establish, as far as
practicable, uniformity of practice among the several states and province. Statutory requirements,
regulations, and guidelines among the states and province are not uniform and use of the
standards must adjust itself to these variations. Users also should be cognizant of locally adopted
regulations or standards and applicable federal requirements.
The term "shall" is used where practices are sufficiently standardized to permit specific
delineation of requirements or where safeguarding of the public health or protection of water
quality justifies such definite action. Other terms, such as "should," "recommended," and
"preferred," indicate desirable procedures or methods, with deviations subject to individual
consideration.
Definition of terms and their use in these standards is intended to be in accordance with
GLOSSARY -- WATER AND WASTEWATER CONTROL ENGINEERING, jointly prepared
by APHA, ASCE, AWWA and WPCF. The International Standard Units are in accordance with
those recommended in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Guide for the Use
of the International System of Units (SI). The customary units of expression used are generally in
accordance with Manual of Practice No. 6, INTERNATIONAL STANDARD UNITS FOR
WATER AND WASTEWATER PROCESSES, jointly prepared by AWWA, IWA and WEF.
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