Compliance Maintenance Annual Report

Chapter NR 208, Wis. Adm. Code is more commonly known as the Compliance Maintenance Annual Report (CMAR) rule for publicly and privately owned domestic wastewater treatment works. The CMAR is a self-evaluation tool that promotes the owner's awareness and responsibility for wastewater collection and treatment needs, measures the performance of a wastewater treatment works during a calendar year, and assesses its level of compliance with permit requirements.

The Purpose of the Program

The purpose of the CMAR is to evaluate the wastewater treatment system for problems or deficiencies. Management, operation and maintenance activities are described. Owners identify proposed actions to prevent violations of WPDES permits and water quality degradation. The CMAR program also encourages actions that:

Promote the owners’ awareness and responsibility for wastewater collection and treatment needs.
Maximize the useful life of wastewater treatment systems through improved operation and maintenance.
Initiate formal planning, design and construction for system upgrades.

The CMAR Form

The CMAR form is a communication tool for identifying needs for future planning. The CMAR form:

Describes the management and physical condition of the wastewater treatment works during the previous calendar year.
Assesses system performance and wastewater maintenance activities.
Evaluates compliance with WPDES permit requirements
Provides an objective analysis to determine whether a more detailed evaluation of the wastewater facility is needed.
Identifies proposed actions necessary to maintain regulatory compliance.