Washington Township Municipal Utility Authority Morris NJ

SEWER DISCHARGE RESTRICTIONS

The rules & regulations for Washington Twp MUA prohibit the connection of sump pumps and roof drains to the sanitary sewer lines. This water is considered clean water that can be discharged to area streams, lakes and ponds without any treatment.

When this water is added to wastewater from your home, it overloads the sanitary sewer system. In severe cases, this can cause overflows of untreated sewage that affect our waterways.

Additionally "clean" water causes extra treatment and operation costs which affects all our sewer customers. A sump pump can add over 1,000 gallons per day to the wastewater flow and can more than triple the average wastewater flow from a typical home.

The following excerpt from the Authority's Rules and Regulations addresses penalties for illegal discharge into the Authority sewer system:

SECTION 5: GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

PART E: MISCELLANEOUS

6. Penalties - Any violation of these Rules and Regulations or any amendments thereto may subject the User to all remedies available pursuant to State, Federal, or Local statues, rules, and regulations, including but not limited to the following:

a. The suspension or termination of service or discharge.

b. A civil suit in the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey for damages, injunctive relief and penalties.

c. An action in the Township Municipal Court for a violation of all Ordinances (including, but not limited to, Washington Township Ordinance Chapter 3-21(a)(3)) and all other Rules, Regulations or Requirements, seeking fines and penalties in accordance with the terms thereof.

d. The assessment of reasonable costs of any investigation, inspection, or monitoring survey which led to the establishment of the violation and for the reasonable costs of litigation or enforcement actions, if any, including attorney's fees.

Penalties for the discharge of any substance in violation of the Authority's discharge limitations shall be assessed pursuant to the rules and regulations established or to be established by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to the Water Pollution Control Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10A-1.

Penalties, other than those assessed for discharge violations as set forth herein, shall be assessed at a minimum of $100.00 per violation.

For the purpose of this section, each day a user is in violation of these Rules and Regulations shall be considered a separate violation and shall subject said user to all remedies and penalties for each separate violation.

The use of any of the remedies specified under this section shall not preclude the use of any other remedy specified