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David Turin
Douglas Koopman
In the event of an overflow or bypass of a sanitary sewer, the owner or operator of the involved facility must notify MassDEP, and other state and federal entities as necessary, within 24 hours. This applies to:
This requirement includes any owner or operator of a satellite municipal collection system or other collection system that is part of a larger POTW not under the same ownership and control.
The following situations require notification to DEP and submittal of the SSO Report Form:
Backups of wastewater into a property which are not caused by conditions in the system owned and operated by the sewer system are not required to be reported. These incidents normally occur due to blockages in service connections to a property or blockages in the internal plumbing system.
Immediately after discovering the overflow or bypass, notify MassDEP, US EPA, and other parties by telephone and/or email. See the Instructions below for the list of agencies and contact numbers.
Using the Sanitary Sewer Overflow/Bypass Notification form below, submit a written report to MassDEP within 5 calendar days of the time you became aware of the incident. See the Instructions below for more details.
Guidance on how to prepare your report and contact information for agencies which must be notified in the event of a sewer overflow or bypass.
This form must be completed and submitted within 5 calendar days of the time you become aware of the incident.
Email the Notification Form to the attention of the Bureau of Water Resources in your DEP regional office and to the appropriate EPA personnel depending on your DEP region (see lists below).
David Turin
Douglas Koopman
