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How to submit certified sanitary-sewer spill reports to California’s online system
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Summary
A State Water Resources Control Board training video walks users through locating a draft spill, attaching supporting documents, setting coordinates, and completing certification; it emphasizes that category 1 and 2 spills must be certified within 15 calendar days and that only a registered LRO may finalize certification.
A State Water Resources Control Board training presenter explained how enrollees must submit certified sanitary-sewer spill reports into the state’s online tracking system and demonstrated the step-by-step workflow to complete certification.
The video, produced in partnership with the California Water Environment Association and Ridgecresta Learning and Development Services, said the General Order governing statewide sanitary sewer systems requires certified spill reports for category 1 and category 2 events and that reporting must be completed within 15 calendar days of the spill end date. "Within 15 calendar days of the spill end date for category 1 or category 2 spills, the certified spill report must be submitted into CIWQS," the presenter stated, using the video interface while demonstrating the form fields.
Why it matters: timely certified reports are a compliance requirement under the State Water Resources Control Board’s statewide sanitary sewer order and are used by regulators to track public-health and water-quality impacts from sewer spills.
What the video shows: the presenter demonstrated how to find a previously saved spill draft using the system search (spill ID, location name, or date range), how to open the 'Certification' tab, and how to complete required fields. The training clarifies several practical points: descriptions longer than 1,000 characters should be uploaded as attachments with the description field noting "see attachment," required fields are marked with an asterisk, and users should save work frequently using the 'Save Work in Progress' button.
Geolocation and attachments: when latitude and longitude are required, the presenter showed the map tool: enter an address or zoom and drop a pin, click 'Set Coordinates' to auto-populate latitude and longitude, then close the map. The presenter also walked through uploading attachments (choose file → set document type and date → add a file description → upload).
Certification and legal attestation: the video notes that only the legally responsible official (LRO) listed on the incident record may complete certification. The presenter instructed viewers to click 'Ready to Certify' to notify the LRO, then to review the certification frame, check the box to "certify under penalty of perjury," enter the certifier’s name, title and initials, and click the 'Certified' button. "Only an LRO on record may certify the spill report," the presenter said.
Support and next steps: viewers were shown the successful certification pop-up as confirmation and directed to contact State Water Resources Control Board staff via the sanitarysewer contact provided in the video for questions. The presenter closed by pointing to additional State Water Resources Control Board training videos for further guidance on complying with the general order.
The training is a procedural walkthrough rather than a policy discussion; it does not record votes or decisions by the board and contains no public comment or dispute. The primary next step for enrollees is to ensure secure login credentials, prepare required attachments and coordinate with their LRO so certified submission occurs within the 15-calendar-day deadline.
