Connecting sump pumps to the sanitary sewage collection system is illegal, and it creates health and financial problems! Sump pumps are designed to pump groundwater and rainwater. Sanitary sewage collection pipes are designed to carry sewage, not groundwater and rain water. Sump pump discharges into the sanitary sewage collection system create increased costs for all of our rate payers.
New Hanover Township Authority bills homeowners for their sewer usage based on an estimated flow of 275 gallons/day. When a sump pumps discharge into the sanitary sewer, New Hanover Township Authority has no way of tracking and billing for this additional usage of the sanitary sewage system. When a homeowner discharges their sump pump in to the sanitary sewage system, they’re getting a service for free that everyone else has to pay for. It’s equivalent to tapping off electricity before the meter; it is STEALING!
Typically, the sanitary sewage collection main in the street of an average Development is 8 inches in diameter. As you can imagine, there is only so much sewage water that can flow through this pipe. For this type of sewer pipe, about 300 gallons of water can flow through it in a minute. A half-horsepower sump pump will pump 60 gallons to the sewer each minute. If five homes in a Development have their sump pumps hooked up to the sanitary sewage collection system they will fill the sanitary sewage collection main. These five homes will cause the sanitary sewage main to start backing up!
New Hanover Township Authority cannot stress how critical it is that sump pumps discharge to the yard or storm water system, not to the sanitary sewage collection system! If your home’s sump pump is connected to the sanitary sewage collection system the ‘good citizen’ thing to do is to make the sump pump discharge to the exterior or storm water system. Eliminating sump pump connections into the sanitary sewage collection system will save the rate payers from unnecessary sewer rental rate increases.