A Sewer System Management Plan, also called an SSMP, describes the activities that a public wastewater agency uses to manage its wastewater collection system effectively. The development of the City’s SSMP was required when the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopted the Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirement (GWDR) on May 2, 2006. The GWDR established requirements for operating, maintaining and managing wastewater collection systems. The GWDR applies to all public collection system agencies in California that own or operate collection systems comprised of more than one (1) mile of pipe or sewer lines, which convey untreated wastewater to a publicly owned treatment facility and requires each agency to prepare an SSMP.
On December 6, 2022, a new Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order was issued. It became effective on June 5, 2023, and requires that the SSMP be updated. The updated SSMP was approved by Ceres City Council on July 28, 2025 and is available below.
Sewer System Management Plan 2025