Wastewater and Reclaimed Water Spills
The use and disposal of wastewater and reclaimed water within Maricopa County is governed by the rules and
regulations of the Maricopa County Environmental Health Code.
Chapter 2, Section I, Regulation 2, Subsection B of the code requires that:
"No sewage, reclaimed wastewater, refuse, human excreta or other
wastes shall be permitted in or placed or deposited into any of the water, or upon or under any of the lands,
of the County, except as approved by the Department".
The Maricopa County Environmental Health Code does not allow
incidental releases of wastewater that may be allowed by Capacity, Management, Operation and Maintenance (CMOM)
Permits. All releases of wastewater or reclaimed water are considered to be spills.
If a wastewater or reclaimed water spill occurs it must be reported to the Maricopa County Environmental Services
Department by the operator of the wastewater treatment facility/system or the reclaimed water facility/system and
clean-up and remediation efforts must be implemented as described in the sections below.
If you are not the operator of a wastewater treatment facility or system but wish to notify the Maricopa County
Environmental Services Department of a wastewater spill, please file an environmental complaint as instructed on
the Complaints page.
Actions Required When a Spill Occurs
When a wastewater or reclaimed water spill occurs, the following actions should be taken by the operator:
- Stop the spill by isolating the source of the spill.
- Contain the spill. This may require the construction of temporary earth berms or dams.
- Call for assistance (other operational staff or utilities as required).
- Implement immediate short term clean-up including pumping and proper disposal of the spilled material
and disinfecting the affected area.
- Notify the relevant regulatory agencies of the spill (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality,
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department, municipalities, other utility companies, etc.).
- Implement the long term clean-up activities (fecal testing of the soil and soil removal) as necessary
to remediate the spill.
- Submit a written report to the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department within 14 days.
The activities associated with actions #1 - #6 above should be described in detail in the written report.
Spill Notification Procedures
The Maricopa County Environmental Services Department must be notified immediately by the operator of all wastewater
and reclaimed water spills. A Spill Notification Form can be filled out and sent by facsimile
to (602) 506-6925 or can be e-mailed to the Water and Wastewater Treatment Program at
WWM_TPP@mail.maricopa.gov
If a spill occurs during normal business hours (Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.), AND the spill is a
critical spill follow-up your fax or e-mail notification with a telephone call to the Water and Wastewater
Treatment Program at (602) 372-2861.
If a spill occurs after normal business hours or on a holiday, AND the spill is a critical spill
please follow-up your fax or e-mail notification with a telephone call to the Maricopa County Environmental
Services Department Call Center at (602) 506-6616. Navigate through voicemail menus '1' and '8' and then leave
a message with your name, utility name and callback telephone number. The on-call Maricopa County Environmental
Services Department staff member should telephone you back within 20 minutes.
When determining what is a critical spill, the operator should consider the location of the
spill, the severity and volume of the spill, the size of the contaminated area and the risk to the general public.
Assume that the spill is a critical spill if there is any doubt.
Spill Remediation Requirements
The area where the spill occurred must be restored to its original pre-spill state. Samples of soil from the
remediated spill area must have a fecal coliform count comparable to the unaffected soil in the immediate area.
Laboratory analysis documenting soils from the affected and unaffected areas should be included in the written
spill report.
Written Spill Report
A written report must be submitted to the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department within 14 days after
the date the spill occurred. The report must describe the cause of the spill, the actions undertaken to remediate
the spill, supporting documentation detailing the remediation effort, the preventative measures and operational
and maintenance procedures that have been implemented to prevent a repeat spill in the future, and any other
relevant documentation or data related to the spill. For critical spills, include photographs and laboratory
sample analysis reports documenting that the spill has been properly remediated.
Mail or deliver the spill report to:
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department
Water and Waste Management Division
Water/Wastewater Treatment Program
1001 N. Central Avenue, Suite 150
Phoenix, AZ 85004-1940
Maricopa County Environmental Services Department Water and Wastewater Treatment Program staff will review the
spill report to determine if any additional remediation actions are required.