State Water Resources Control Board training shows how to submit draft sanitary sewer spill reports to CWIX

A State Water Resources Control Board training video explains how enrollees should file draft sanitary sewer spill reports into the CWIX portal under the General Order referenced in the video ('General order 20 20 two-one 103'). The guidance applies to Category 1 spills (any sewage discharge to a surface water) and Category 2 spills (spills of 1,000 gallons or more that do not discharge to surface water) and reiterates that a draft report must be submitted within three days of initial knowledge of the spill.

The video, produced in partnership with the California Water Environment Association and Ridgecresta Learning and Development Services, directs users to log in at the CWIX site and says users should be the legally responsible official or a designated data submitter with a user ID, password, and security question answer. "Within 3 days of initial knowledge of a category 1 or category 2 spill, a draft spill report must be submitted into CWIX," the narrator states, emphasizing the reporting deadline.

It defines the two spill categories in plain terms: "Category 1 spills are those where any volume of sewage from or caused by a sanitary sewer system results in discharge to a surface water, including a water body that contains no flow or volume of water," and "Category 2 spills are 1,000 gallons or greater from or caused by a sanitary sewer system that does not discharge to a surface water." The video also clarifies that discharges from drainage conveyance systems that ultimately reach surface waters, and privately owned or operated laterals that discharge to surface waters, are treated as Category 1 events. Privately owned laterals that overflow because of a failure or blockage are covered under Category 2 when they meet the volume threshold and do not reach surface water, per the training script.

The narrator walks through the CWIX form workflow: use the Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order menu to choose "new spill report," answer the category-determination questions so the system routes you to the correct draft form, complete required fields (marked with an asterisk), and use the calendar and time controls when date/time entries are required. For location, the video shows a map tool where users can enter an address, drop a pin, click "set coordinates" to auto-populate latitude and longitude, then close the map. The video instructs users to enable pop-up windows to use the map feature.

For documentation, the narrator advises saving work in progress to preserve entered data and to use the attachments tab to upload photos and documents. The upload flow shown instructs users to click "choose file," select files from the pop-up, choose document type and date, enter a file description, and click "upload file." To complete the draft, open the "spill general info" tab and click the "submit draft" button; the video notes that the State Water Resources Control Board will display a green confirmation banner when the draft has been received and that any red-highlighted errors must be corrected if the banner does not appear.

The training closes by directing viewers to additional State Water Resources Control Board training videos for help with the General Order and to the CIWQS/CWIX help center for technical support, as shown in the video. The video also references a companion certified reporting video that explains how to certify a draft spill report once submitted.

Practical takeaways for enrollees: determine whether the spill meets Category 1 or Category 2 definitions, collect login credentials and map coordinates before starting, save work frequently, attach photos/documents with clear file descriptions, and submit a draft within three days of learning of the spill. The State Water Resources Control Board and partners provided the guidance in the training module; the video transcript provides the procedural steps but does not include additional compliance examples or dates for when the General Order took effect.