Meriden, CT Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- Stormwater must go to designated storm sewers only
- Prohibited
- Connecting drains to stormwater sewers
- Enforced by
- Director of Public Utilities, WPCF
- Notice of violation
- Written notice under § 170-30
- Continued violation
- Misdemeanor under § 170-32
- Related limit
- Sewage temperature capped at 150°F
Summary
Meriden's sewer ordinance requires stormwater and other unpolluted drainage to go only into pipes designated as storm sewers, never into the sanitary sewer system. Section 170-9 of Chapter 170 bars anyone from discharging groundwater, roof runoff or subsurface drainage into a sanitary sewer, and bars connecting a drain or plumbing fixture on private property to a stormwater sewer.
§ 170-9. Stormwater and unpolluted drainage. Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any unpolluted waters, such as stormwater, groundwater, roof runoff, and subsurface drainage, to any sanitary sewer, nor shall any person connect any drain or plumbing fixtures or other sanitary sewer system on his premises to any stormwater sewer.
Full Breakdown
Section 170-9 sits in Article III, Discharge Limitations, of Chapter 170, Sewers, and draws a hard line between the City's sanitary and storm sewer systems. Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage, meaning groundwater, roof runoff and subsurface drainage, has to be discharged to sewers specifically designated as storm sewers, in accordance with applicable state and federal law; no person may discharge those unpolluted waters into a sanitary sewer, and no person may connect a drain, plumbing fixture or other sanitary sewer system on private property to a stormwater sewer.
The rule protects the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) from being overloaded with clean water that belongs in the storm system, keeping treatment capacity available for actual sewage. The surrounding sections of Article III back the rule with substance-specific limits: § 170-10 bars contributing any pollutant that interferes with WPCF operation, § 170-11 sets numeric limits on things like sewage temperature (150 degrees F. maximum) and fat, wax, grease, petroleum or mineral oil content (100 milligrams per liter, 20 milligrams per liter for floatable oil), and requires restaurants to install grease traps of at least 1,000-gallon capacity or one-third of daily discharge.
Violations of any Article III discharge rule, including § 170-9, are enforced through a written notice of violation under § 170-30, with a Director of Public Utilities order to correct within a stated time.
Violations & Fines
Discharging stormwater or unpolluted drainage into a sanitary sewer, or cross-connecting a stormwater sewer, is a violation of § 170-9 enforced under § 170-30's notice-of-violation process, and continuing the violation past the correction deadline is a misdemeanor under § 170-32, punishable by a fine set in the City's Fee Schedule for each day the violation continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I connect a sump pump or roof drain to Meriden's sanitary sewer?
What happens if I violate Meriden's stormwater discharge rule?
Who enforces Meriden's stormwater and sewer discharge rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Meriden
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