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Performance MeasureMeasure #100717772Value #103241006

SEWER MAINTENANCE EFFECTIVENESS

Sanitary sewer overflows per 100 miles of main

A complete source packet for this Performance Portland measure: current value, official scale, history, narrative notes, context, and links.

1

Start with value

Use the latest official value and current trend as the first read.

2

Check why it matters

Regulatory permits require the City to maintain its wastewater collection system in a way that reduces public health and environmental risk.

3

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Continue to the chart, official notes, topic links, source URLs, and full history table.

History

Official values

This chart uses the official actual values cached from ClearImpact. The latest point is highlighted; the table below preserves every raw row.

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Latest

3.53

FY 2024 - 25

First shown

4.21

FY 2019 - 20

Change shown

-0.7

Within visible history

01.12.13.24.2FY 204.21FY 21FY 22FY 23FY 24FY 253.53X-axis: reporting period. Y-axis: official actual value on the ClearImpact scale.

Full source history

Every cached ClearImpact row for this measure.

PeriodActualTargetTrend
FY 2024 - 253.53—1
FY 2023 - 242.75—1
FY 2022 - 232.60—-1
FY 2021 - 222.65—-1
FY 2020 - 213.64—-1
FY 2019 - 204.21—0

Narrative Tabs

Official Performance Portland notes

Why Is This Important?

Regulatory permits require the City to maintain its wastewater collection system in a way that reduces public health and environmental risk. Sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) are unplanned releases of sewage from the sanitary and combined (sanitary and stormwater in the same pipe) sewer system. These releases can occur due to structural failure (broken pipes or connections), blockages (debris, grease, or roots), mechanical failure (pump station outages), the system being hydraulically overloaded (heavy rain events beyond the City’s design standards for service), or factors beyond BES control (significant power outages, severe weather, or debris in private sanitary laterals). SSOs are an indicator of the overall effectiveness of maintenance programs.

What Do The Numbers Show?

The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) has a target of no more than 5 SSOs per 100 miles of sanitary and combined sewer system (including public laterals). The values shown do not include public laterals. The actual results show that BES is effectively reducing overflows and well below our target. BES has a proactive preventative maintenance program to inspect, clean, and repair sanitary and combined sewer mains and to maintain pump stations. BES continues to improve at this performance measure and has been successful at reaching the target for the last three fiscal years.

How Did We Arrive at These Numbers?

All complaints of sewage releases are routed to the Maintenance Dispatch hotline (503-823-1700), which is able to deploy emergency sewer crews 24/7. These sewer crews confirm whether or not a sewage release occurred, and if so, if the cause was located in the public sewer. BES completes an initial investigation of cause, and if due to a blockage or structural issue, begin an emergency repair. The sewer crews notify the Spill Protection and Community Response 24/7 hotline, and the on-call Duty Officer reports SSOs to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality as required by the wastewater permit. The number of SSO’s is calculated from sewage releases that were caused by an issue in the public sewer main. Then, BES calculates the length of sanitary and combined sewer mains. The performance measure is the number of SSOs divided by the length of sanitary and combined sewer main.

Where Can I Find More Information?

BES submits an annual report to DEQ on annual wastewater permit performance and compliance. All final reports are available on Efiles - Annual CSO and CMOM Reports . Additional information about wastewater regulatory compliance can be found at Efiles - CBWTP NPDES Permit Supporting Records - CMOM . See What you can (and can't) flush for more information on ways that everyone can help prevent sewage releases. All suspected sewage releases should be reported immediately to 503-823-1700. More information can be found at Report a Sewer Problem .

Efiles - Annual CSO and CMOM ReportsEfiles - CBWTP NPDES Permit Supporting Records - CMOMWhat you can (and can't) flushReport a Sewer Problem