Temporary Discharge of Groundwater into the City Sewer System

true
true
false
false

Construction businesses that will need to temporarily discharge groundwater to a sanitary, storm, or combined sewer as a result of a construction project that will lower the groundwater table (water located beneath the ground surface) during construction must comply with the Sewer Use Regulations established in Title 15 of the Rules of the City of New York (RCNY) Chapter 19.

This is required of construction projects, regardless of the size of the construction project.

If the estimated discharge of groundwater is greater than 10,000 gallons per day, the applicant must also obtain a groundwater discharge permit from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The permit will allow the applicant to discharge groundwater to the City sewer system (Sanitary, Storm or Combined sewers) for a limited period of time. To obtain a groundwater discharge permit, the applicant must submit a Temporary Discharge of Groundwater into the City Sewer System, linked below under Application Materials.

tab-name
About
tab-section-name
Description
Cover letter describing the project.
Construction businesses that will need to temporarily discharge groundwater to a sanitary, storm, or combined sewer must comply with the Sewer Use Regulations.
LEARN MORE
Site Plan to scale.
Analytical report of the groundwater to be discharged.
Fees are determined on a case by case basis.

List of accepted payment methods.

  • Personal Check (Made payable to the New York City Water Board)
  • Money Order (Made payable to the New York City Water Board)
tab-name
How to Apply
tab-section-name
Description
tab-name
After You Apply
tab-section-name
Description
tab-name
Operating and Renewing
tab-section-name
Description
tab-name
How to Apply
tab-section-name
Additional
accordion-title
applyOnline
Download and print the Temporary Discharges of Groundwater into the City Sewer System application, available at the link above under Application Materials.
Fill out the forms following the instructions in the application. Please note that the application needs the signature and seal of a Professional Engineer (P.E.) stating the accuracy of the plans.
Submit the application along with all of the prerequisites identified above to the address below under Contact Information.
The applicant will receive a response from DEP within three weeks of submission.
If the application package is found satisfactory, the applicant will receive a letter of Approval for Groundwater Discharge to Sanitary, Storm or Combined Sewers from DEP.
Following the letter of Approval for Groundwater Discharge to Sanitary, Storm or Combined Sewers, the applicant will receive a letter from DEP requesting submission of a statement from a P.E. estimating the total volume to be discharged into the sewer during the entire period covered by the approval letter. This information will allow DEP to calculate the charges that the applicant must pay according to the New York City Water Board Water and Wastewater Rate Schedule, available at the link above.
Mail the Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.)'s statement to the NYC Bureau of Customer Services - Field Operations, located at 59-17 Junction Boulevard, 13th Floor, Flushing, NY 11373.
Applicants will receive a letter from DEP indicating the amount to be paid for the permit.
Bring the letter indicating the fee to be paid and a check for the indicated amount payable to the NYC Water Board to any of DEP BCS Borough offices. The permit will be issued on the spot or the applicant might be asked to come back the next day.
tab-name
How to Apply
tab-section-name
Additional
accordion-title
applyInPerson
tab-name
How to Apply
tab-section-name
Additional
accordion-title
applyByMail
tab-name
Operating and Renewing
tab-section-name
Additional
accordion-title
renewOnline
tab-name
Operating and Renewing
tab-section-name
Additional
accordion-title
renewInPerson
tab-name
Operating and Renewing
tab-section-name
Additional
accordion-title
renewByMail
title
Additional Resources
richtext

Application to Temporarily Discharge Groundwater into Sewers

Rules of the City of New York (RCNY)

NYC Water Board Rate Schedule

Instructions to Obtain Approval for Discharge

NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Water and Sewer Permitting Section
59-17 Junction Blvd, 3rd Floor LR
Flushing
NY
11373-5108
http://nyc.gov/dep
Construction Groundwater Discharges
tab-name
About
tab-section-name
Additional
/content/mycity-eds/fragments/step-by-step-cta-fragment