MWWD Divisions

The City's Metropolitan Wastewater Department (MWWD) provides regional wastewater treatment and disposal services for the City of San Diego and 15 other cities and special districts in a 450 square mile area stretching from Del Mar to the north, Alpine and Lakeside to the east, and the Mexican border to the south. The Department is also responsible for operating and maintaining the Municipal Sewage Collection System for the City.

The Department consists of five Divisions:

Adminstrative Services Division

The Administrative Services Division administers the Department's budgets, grant development, safety and training, human resources, information technology, and the collection and analysis of sewage flow data. The Division also manages programs designed to facilitate the Department's mission and strategic planning.

Engineering & Program Management Division

Engineering and Program Management provides long-range master plans for the Metropolitan and Municipal Wastewater System to ensure that repairs and upgrades are planned and implemented in a fiscally sound manner to meet regulatory standards and environmental concerns. Specifically, the Division provides condition assessment, sewer modeling, planning and predesign for pipelines, pump stations and treatment plants, energy management, environmental support, and oversight of the implementation of the Capital Improvement Programs.

Environmental Monitoring & Technical Services Division

Environmental Monitoring and Technical Services (EM&TS) carries out several crucial programs in support of the treatment and disposal of wastewater. These include the Industrial Wastewater Control Program that regulates industrial discharges to the sewers. EM&TS operates a comprehensive ocean monitoring program to evaluate the wastewater treatment plants at Point Loma and the South Bay. The program provides laboratory testing for process control and regulatory reporting purposes, ensures compliance with all regulatory permits, and oversees actions necessary to maintain the permits for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant and South Bay Water Reclamation Plant. This Division has also obtained the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification.

Wastewater Treatment & Disposal Division

Wastewater Treatment and Disposal is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all wastewater treatment facilities including treatment and water reclamation facilities, major pump stations, and biosolids processing. The Division is the first publicly owned wastewater treatment operation in the nation to obtain ISO Certification.

Wastewater Collection Division

Wastewater Collection provides ongoing preventive cleaning, maintenance, and repair of the Municipal Sewerage Collection System, including emergency removal of sewer line stoppages, equipment overhaul and repair, on-site facility inspections, and maintenance of the structural integrity of sewer mains and manholes in the collection system. The construction section of the Division performs repairs and replaces sewer laterals in the public rights-of-way. The Division operates and maintains 76 sewer pump stations as well as the Mission Bay and Coastal low-flow stormwater diversion systems. The Division administers the Food Establishment Wastewater Discharge Permitting Program, which is responsible for permitting and compliance monitoring of food establishments to minimize the discharge of grease into the wastewater collection system. This Division has also obtained the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification.