An Act Regarding Municipal Satellite Wastewater Collection Systems
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 38 MRSA §361-A, sub-§3-D is enacted to read:
3-D. Publicly owned treatment works. "Publicly owned treatment works" means a device or system for the treatment of pollutants that is owned by the State or a political subdivision thereof, a municipality, a district, a quasi-municipal corporation or another public entity. "Publicly owned treatment works" includes sewers, pipes or other conveyances only if they convey wastewater to a publicly owned treatment works providing treatment.
Sec. 2. 38 MRSA §414-B, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2001, c. 232, §12, is repealed.
Sec. 3. 38 MRSA §414-D is enacted to read:
§ 414-D. Municipal satellite collection systems
1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
A. "Municipal satellite collection system" or "system" means a wastewater collection system, owned or operated by a municipality or a quasi-municipal entity, that directly or indirectly conveys wastewater to a publicly owned treatment works that is owned or operated by a separate legal entity. "Municipal satellite collection system" includes a gravity sewer and a force main.
B. "Unauthorized discharge" means a discharge of wastewater from a municipal satellite collection system to any location other than the publicly owned treatment works identified by the owner of the system pursuant to subsection 2.
2. Registration. The owner of a municipal satellite collection system shall register the system with the department in accordance with this subsection on a form prepared and furnished by the department. The registration process required under this subsection must, at a minimum, require the owner of a municipal satellite collection system to provide the department with the following information:
A. Contact information for the owner and the operator of the system;
B. Information on the publicly owned treatment works that the system discharges to;
C. Information on the geographic areas served by the system;
D. A basic map or schematic diagram of the system; and
E. System specifications, including, but not limited to, the number of miles of pipe within the system, the number and location of pump stations within the system and the number of customers served by the system.
3. Report of unauthorized discharge. The owner or operator of a municipal satellite collection system shall report to the department any unauthorized discharge in accordance with this subsection.
A. An initial report of the unauthorized discharge must be provided orally to the department by the owner or operator of the system within 24 hours of the time the owner or operator becomes aware of the discharge.
B. A written report of the unauthorized discharge must be provided to the department by the owner or operator of the system within 5 days of the time the owner or operator becomes aware of the discharge. The written report must be submitted on a form prepared and furnished by the department and must contain information on the unauthorized discharge including, but not limited to, the cause of the discharge, the date and time of the discharge, the location of the discharge, information on any water bodies that may be impacted by the discharge, the number of gallons of wastewater discharged and, if the discharge has not been corrected at the time of the written report, the anticipated amount of time that the discharge is expected to continue and the steps that the owner or operator plans to implement to reduce and eliminate the discharge and prevent a recurrence of the discharge.
Effective 90 days following adjournment of the 128th Legislature, Second Regular Session, unless otherwise indicated.