Abstract:Since the implementation of the national "14th Five-Year Plan" policy to improve the quality and efficiency of urban sewage treatment in 2021, the traditional engineering model—characterized by an emphasis on construction over operational effectiveness and separate management of stormwater and sewage systems—has increasingly failed to meet the needs of modern ecological-environment governance. Combining an inspection project targeting low influent concentrations at a sewage treatment plant, this study proposes a new project-implementation model based on a performance-based payment mechanism and coordinated inspection of stormwater and sewage systems. The model links core indicators—such as the compliance rates of influent COD and ammonia-nitrogen concentrations and the improvement in sewage collection rate—to payment, and establishes a dynamic payment mechanism consisting of "60% base fee + 40% performance-linked variable fee".Empirical data show that, under the corrective measures driven by the new model, the case area’s sewage treatment plant experienced a year-on-year reduction in average daily influent of 4,517 m3/d during the 2023 rainy season, a 25.75% year-on-year increase in sewage collection rate, and significant year-on-year increases in influent COD and ammonia-nitrogen concentrations. The study indicates that this "performance-based payment + coordinated stormwater–sewage" model promotes the transformation of sewage treatment inspection work from expansive construction to targeted quality improvement.