Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs) Currently Available

On October 3, 2022 the Sandy City Council adopted a temporary moratorium, stopping acceptance of new land use applications that propose new sewer connections, to give sewer system improvements time to catch up with the community’s growth and aging infrastructure.  In March 2023, the Council adopted Resolution 2023-07 extending the timeline of the temporary moratorium to October 3, 2023.  The City took this action in coordination with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of ongoing enforcement proceedings under the Clean Water Act. 

Subsequently, on June 5, 2023, City Council approved a consent decree to settle the enforcement proceedings from DEQ and the EPA relating to past permit violations incurred by the City’s wastewater treatment system. The consent decree includes terms that differ from the moratorium that was extended by Resolution 2023-07, the most significant of which is that it allows up to 300 equivalent residential units (ERUs, a measure of sewer flow equal to that typically generated by a single family detached dwelling) of new connections and additional flows through existing connections. This higher ERU allowance reflects the anticipated capacity improvements resulting from the work the City has performed on the wastewater treatment system over the past year. ERUs are deducted from the 300 count at time of building permit issuance, not at time of building permit submission.  

On June 21, 2023, the Sandy City Council adopted Resolution 2023-27 which allows up to 300 ERUs. On November 20, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution 2023-34, extending the moratorium to June 20, 2024. The City has completed the stress tests of the sanitary sewer treatment plant and EPA/DEQ is now analyzing the results that were submitted by the City. City staff anticipates that review of the analysis and subsequent meetings with EPA/DEQ will take several months.  

Below is a table showing the number of ERUs currently available.  Please contact our Development Services Department if you have questions.