Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notification

Public Notice Advisory Sample


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Sanitary Sewer





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In January 2021, Governor Baker signed An Act Promoting Awareness of Sewage in Public Waters into law. This new law will make sure the public knows when untreated sewage flows into Massachusetts waters. This includes releases known as combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and certain Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs). MassDEP recognizes the importance of notifying the public when untreated sewage is released into our waters and has developed regulations to implement this law (314 CMR 16.00: Notification Requirements to Promote Public Awareness of Sewage Pollution).  


When Public Notification is Required:  

314 CMR 16.03 (1) A permittee is required to issue a public notification for the following: 

    (b) Any discharge of partially treated wastewater, including blended wastewater; 

    (c) Any Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) that discharges through a wastewater outfall, either directly or indirectly, into a surface water of the Commonwealth;  

    (d) Any SSO that flows into a surface water of the Commonwealth and is the result of the sanitary sewer system surcharging under high flow conditions when peak flows cannot be conveyed to a POTW due to capacity constraints; and  

    (e) Any SSO that flows into a surface water of the Commonwealth and is the result of a failure of a wastewater pump station or associated force main designed to convey peak flows of 1 million gallons per day or greater


If there is a discovery of a sanitary sewer overflow, there will be an emergency alert posted on the Town of Wilbraham website.  You may subscribe to the alerts by signing up at the link below.  You will receive an email for all alerts posted by the Town.  Emergency sanitary sewer overflow alerts will provide additional protocol with any further instructions that need to be followed and contact information.


To subscribe click the link below:

https://townofwilbrahamwebportal.bbcportal.com/