State governments always provide regulatory frameworks around water and wastewater treatment systems and operations in a given state. These frameworks dictate how water and wastewater systems must be set up, how they must be regulated and operated, who can operate water or wastewater facilities, and additional standards.

Read on to get a basic understanding of the laws that govern water and wastewater in New Jersey.

At O & M Solutions, we are leading providers of water and wastewater services in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and parts of New York. For information or to learn more about what we offer, call (732) 965-5764.

Water and Wastewater Systems in New Jersey

Statewide rules around water and wastewater systems, including sewer and septic rules, exist to preserve or improve water quality and safeguard environmentally sensitive areas. The types of systems and facilities there are regulations around include the following:

Drinking water systems: public water distribution and treatment
Wells
Water allocation systems
Wastewater collection
Wastewater treatment

Different standards apply to these different types of systems.

Drinking Water Systems

There are federal laws around water treatment that are relevant to any state, which include the Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA) and Clean Water Act (CWA). The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is actively involved in water treatment in this region, which is composed of about twenty Watershed Management Areas (WMAs).

The New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act Rules, last amended in 2017, enacted a variety of regulations, including recordkeeping and reporting guidelines, reporting of changes to plants/emergency protocols, bans on over-extended or inadequate systems, and standards around the managerial and technical competence of water systems.

There are very specific standards in numerous areas of drinking water systems, such as the following:

Physical connections and cross connection control by containment/construction standards
Construction standards for public community water systems
Construction standards for nonpublic water systems
Standards for technical, managerial, and financial capacity of public community and non-community water systems

Any system or facility operating outside of these stated standards will be subject to fines.

Wastewater Systems

Wastewater collection and treatment in New Jersey is also subject to strict state-wide mandates. These extend to the numerous processes commonly used to treat wastewater, such as activated sludge/aerated lagoon, trickling filter/rotating biological contractor, methane collection/beneficial reuse, and more.

NJPDES programs ensure the proper treatment and discharge of wastewater, residuals, and stormwater by issuing permits that limit the concentration of pollutants that may be discharged into ground water or nearby water systems. There are standards around construction, capacity assurance, and ongoing monitoring.

Operating a Water and Wastewater System in New Jersey

To legally operate a water system or wastewater system in New Jersey, you must be licensed by the state. This will ensure that you fully understand the law of the land and can operate in a way that complies with all administrative codes.

Water and Wastewater Licensed Operators in New Jersey

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, a division of Water Supply and Geoscience, provides six license types for water and wastewater system operators. These relate to the type of wastewater or water system the operator will be working in:

Industrial Wastewater Treatment System (N License)
Public Wastewater Treatment System (S License)
Public Wastewater Collection System (C License)
Public Water Treatment System (T License)
Public Water Distribution System (W License)
Very Small Water System (VSWS License)

To earn a license, New Jersey standards include experience, education, and passing an exam. To maintain the license, operators must complete continuing education every three years and pass a retest.

O & M Solutions of New Jersey

O & M Solutions is a team of highly experienced water and wastewater facility management professionals. We provide an array of services to support new construction and existing facilities, including emergency assistance. For more information about what we can provide to support your company’s compliance with the laws governing water and wastewater in New Jersey, contact us today.

Wastewater services typically refer to the tasks that support operations in a wastewater treatment facility. The right provider will offer assistance in everything you need to manage water quality in your facility or campus. This includes maintenance and operations for all types of wastewater systems, wastewater treatment plants, lift stations, pipes, and any other wastewater system assets.

Wastewater services should comply with the regulations of the area in which a facility is located, and provide environmentally sound solutions for organizations and municipalities.

At O & M Solutions, we provide expert wastewater services in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, and have more than three decades of experience reinforcing these essential operations.

Read on to learn more about what wastewater services entail, what you may not have considered, and the types of services that exist to ensure safe, year-round operations.

Wastewater Service

Raw sewage must be treated, and wastewater treatment plants exist to perform that task. The typical sequence of events to treat raw sewage includes screening, activated sludge treatment, settling, disinfection, and rearation. Effluent water may then be discharged into the water system without risk of contamination.

Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater treatment has to align with local and state standards around collection, treatment, and release of wastewater. This includes filtration, operating activated sludge systems, and leveraging new, environmentally friendly technologies to disinfect wastewater.

There are typically two types of arrangements for wastewater treatment facility ownership: public and private.

Public Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Municipalities all over the country operate public wastewater treatment facilities to provide this essential service to citizens. Public water systems may be nonprofit entities that are managed by state or local governments. Some regions may work together, forming Regional Water Councils or other consortiums to strengthen purchasing power and operational efficiencies.

Often, officials will outsource operations, management, and maintenance of a public wastewater treatment facility to third parties, like O & M Solutions. This can reduce costs as well as ensuring that specialized professionals are overseeing these precise processes.

Private Wastewater Treatment Facilities

In contrast to the public sector, private wastewater treatment facilities are often for-profit systems which are managed by a board, with rates sometimes monitored or regulated by a state commission. These facilities may also be operated and maintained by a third party provider.

A third option is a public-private partnership, which is represented in some contexts and used as a way to reduce or share costs.

Benefits of Hiring an Expert Wastewater Treatment Facility Services Provider

Wastewater services are essential, and however they are held (public, private, or through partnership), good management is key to optimizing efficiencies and mitigating risk.

Some of the benefits of hiring an expert for wastewater treatment services include the following:

Asset care — Wastewater treatment facilities are immense and include specialized and valuable machinery to process wastewater. Downtime or deterioration is not only costly but a compliance risk. For facilities to maintain optimal uptime and ensure they are meeting all regulatory standards, an expert eye may be required.

Expert guidance — New technology is always evolving to improve water and wastewater treatment processes. Experts in this field will have a sophisticated understanding of the latest approaches, methodologies, and equipment to use.

Emergency response — The aforementioned risk of downtime is real, and well-trained, knowledgeable wastewater treatment services providers are equipped to offer on-demand assistance and emergency response.

Outsourced operations — Highly specialized skills come at a price, and the challenges of hiring, vetting, and retaining top talent can be a barrier to efficiency. By outsourcing wastewater facility operations and management, businesses of all kinds can find cost savings and maximize return.

O & M: an Excellent Wastewater Service Provider

O & M Solutions has spent decades in the tristate area serving clients of all kinds, and working in wastewater facilities of all sizes. This has given us an immense advantage, equipping us to capably oversee, manage, maintain, and respond proactively to the needs of wastewater facilities owners. To learn more about how we might be of service to you, contact us at (732) 965-5764 today.

What Laws Govern Water and Wastewater in New Jersey?