In spring 2006, PAG’s Regional Council approved an update to the 208 Plan, which is scheduled to be approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Oct. 21, 2006. Under this plan, PAG conducts consistency reviews of new or significantly expanded wastewater facilities. If a facility is not consistent with the plan, an amendment must be approved before the facility can be permitted by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

PAG conducts regional wastewater planning in coordination with the Town of Sahuarita and Pima County, the region’s two designated management agencies (DMA), the development community, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Pima County Wastewater Management and the Town of Sahuarita provide sanitary sewer services to their customers.  Pima County Wastewater Management designs, manages and maintains the sanitary sewer system in Pima County, including the conveyance system and treatment system. The department manages three metropolitan wastewater treatment plants and eight outlying facilities. In 2006, Pima County completed its Metropolitan Facility Plan Update, which documents the long-range facility planning process including the establishment of a 20-year capital improvement plan for wastewater management.

A 208 Plan Amendment is any approved change to the Areawide Water Quality Management Plan. In the PAG region, most 208 Plan Amendments since 1990 have related to proposals to construct wastewater treatment facilities that were not included in the original 208 Plan adopted in 1978. Many 208 Plan Amendments adopted in the 1980s addressed policy changes, pollution source assessments, groundwater quality investigations, and long-range plans for meeting regional wastewater treatment needs.

• 208 Process Flow Chart (100KB PDF)
• 208 Statewide Water Quality Management Working Group
• Draft ROMP 208 Amendment 2008