Discharging directly to the street

[RetiredCPO]

Anyone know if it’s legal to direct sump pump discharge water from a private residence directly into the street?
With the cold nights, a couple of my neighbors are building a private ice rink at the entrance of our community.
The county keeps giving me the run around and won't answer the question.
I believe it's a major safety issue with no sidewalks and kids using the same street to get to the bus stop.
(I have attempted to talk to the neighbors, received the middle finger salute followed by a door slam.)

 

[Ken King]

Call your local health department, I'm sure they can find some law/regulation that is being violated, it's what our government is for.

 

[Hannibal]

It would depend on what you're sumping. For example, if it's a true sump and it's true ground/rain water - there is likely no issue. In theory, it's no different than turning your hose on in your driveway (actually it's better given the lack of chlorine entering a storm system).

If you have a somewhat developed neighborhood, the discharge should be captured by the gutter pan and drain into the next storm manhole.

The caveot is IF they are discharging DIRTY water into the storm drain. Technically, when adding a mass volume of water into the public storm system, you are to have it "treated" for siltation and/or chlorination. If it's ground water = no chlorination. If he's pumping it across his grass before it gets to the gutter = it's likely not dirty.

You really THAT worried about Jr. slipping and falling on some ice? Jr. is likely peeing his pants with excitement if he sees a sheet long enough to catch a slide on. I used to live for that stuff as a kid. And falling was part of the game. Thought about just leaving it alone and let the family enjoy some pond hockey?

 

[nutz]

Call your local health department, I'm sure they can find some law/regulation that is being violated, it's what our government is for.

Nope, local Md. Dept of the Environment office. Storm water management (curb and gutter) falls under their purview.

http://www.mde.maryland.gov/program...te.md.us/assets/document/rain_barrel 2005.pdf

 

[FollowTheMoney]

Anyone know if it’s legal to direct sump pump discharge water from a private residence directly into the street?
With the cold nights, a couple of my neighbors are building a private ice rink at the entrance of our community.
The county keeps giving me the run around and won't answer the question.
I believe it's a major safety issue with no sidewalks and kids using the same street to get to the bus stop.
(I have attempted to talk to the neighbors, received the middle finger salute followed by a door slam.)

Really Chief, why do you care? Are you the elected nosy busybody of the neighborhood? Go back to work.

 

[Hannibal]

Nope, local Md. Dept of the Environment office. Storm water management (curb and gutter) falls under their purview.

http://www.mde.maryland.gov/program...te.md.us/assets/document/rain_barrel 2005.pdf

Unless there is some major violation at play, I doubt they do anything about it other than offer a suggestion for a better method. There are no permits required and no apparent laws being violated.

 

[BernieP]

Really Chief, why do you care? Are you the elected nosy busybody of the neighborhood? Go back to work.

okay, let me put it this way, even if it was clean water would you be a little concerned if people were trying to ice over your road? They are putting the water into the street with the intention that it will freeze

answer #1 - rock salt
answer #2 - ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

okay, let me put it this way, even if it was clean water would you be a little concerned if people were trying to ice over your road? They are putting the water into the street with the intention that it will freeze

answer #1 - rock salt
answer #2 - ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel.

I read it as the sump pump discharge is making its way to the street, then freezing. Not intentionally dumping it into the street.

 

[Gilligan]

answer #2 - ammonium nitrate and diesel fuel.

Hey..that makes....wait..what?

 

[b23hqb]

Hey..that makes....wait..what?

McVeigh? NIMBY. Unless it is not deed restricted.

 

[BernieP]

I read it as the sump pump discharge is making its way to the street, then freezing. Not intentionally dumping it into the street.

let me refresh your memory

Anyone know if it’s legal to direct sump pump discharge water from a private residence directly into the street?
With the cold nights, a couple of my neighbors are building a private ice rink at the entrance of our community.
The county keeps giving me the run around and won't answer the question.
I believe it's a major safety issue with no sidewalks and kids using the same street to get to the bus stop.
(I have attempted to talk to the neighbors, received the middle finger salute followed by a door slam.)

That being said, your neighbors are asses and stupid. If they think that water is gong to freeze into something they can skate on, well they are mistaken
First, the temperatures would have to go below 32 degrees for an extended period of time in order to get the road (that huge thermal mass) to a point where the water would freeze.
Second, when they make skating rinks they do it in thin layers because it takes a lot more energy to freeze (i.e. cold) a deep pool of water, we are talking less than an inch at t time.
Which by the way would probably be disrupted by the irregular road surface.
Third, should they get it to freeze it will be an extremely uneven, rather rough surface, probably with enough grit in the ice to dull a skate blade if they can make a single stride.

Bottom line, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Just in case, some sand and rock salt will make it safe for human foot traffic and vehicles to traverse.

Yours Truly

Aunt Flanders

 

[Blister]

Anyone from St. Mary's that commuted on Rt.5 through Hughesville before the bypass was built has to remember the icing from some ones sump pump discharging between the old ball field road and Rt. 231. It was good for a couple accidents per year for decades.

 

[huntr1]

Anyone from St. Mary's that commuted on Rt.5 through Hughesville before the bypass was built has to remember the icing from some ones sump pump discharging between the old ball field road and Rt. 231. It was good for a couple accidents per year for decades.

Or the groundwater seepage on the bypass as you were approaching the overpass of 231. Left lane on the northbound side. How many accidents did that cause before they dug up the new roadway and installed drain pipes? I can remember a dozen.

 

[BernieP]

Or the groundwater seepage on the bypass as you were approaching the overpass of 231. Left lane on the northbound side. How many accidents did that cause before they dug up the new roadway and installed drain pipes? I can remember a dozen.

ugh, that happens on 235 between Chancellors Run (SB) to MacArthur BLVD. Which is only made worse by having the sun right in your face.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

let me refresh your memory


That being said, your neighbors are asses and stupid. If they think that water is gong to freeze into something they can skate on, well they are mistaken
First, the temperatures would have to go below 32 degrees for an extended period of time in order to get the road (that huge thermal mass) to a point where the water would freeze.
Second, when they make skating rinks they do it in thin layers because it takes a lot more energy to freeze (i.e. cold) a deep pool of water, we are talking less than an inch at t time.
Which by the way would probably be disrupted by the irregular road surface.
Third, should they get it to freeze it will be an extremely uneven, rather rough surface, probably with enough grit in the ice to dull a skate blade if they can make a single stride.

Bottom line, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Just in case, some sand and rock salt will make it safe for human foot traffic and vehicles to traverse.

Yours Truly

Aunt Flanders

We agree the subject is about sump pump discharge, correct?

Are you arguing that the neighbors are intentionally filling their sump pits and discharging into the street to build an ice rink?

Or maybe, just maybe, the OP was being glib and saying the sump pump discharges from neighbors is pooling up in the street and could freeze (falsely) into an ice-rink?

 

[sm8]

Or the groundwater seepage on the bypass as you were approaching the overpass of 231. Left lane on the northbound side. How many accidents did that cause before they dug up the new roadway and installed drain pipes? I can remember a dozen.

We know a man that was killed in a motorcycle accident right thru there. The cause was frozen groundwater seepage.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

I've been trying to figure out how many days it's been cold enough to freeze on the road so far this year. My guess is less than 7.

The new rules for water is that it must be contained on the property as much as possible. That's why things like rain barrels and old fashioned dry wells as well as green (planted roofs) are being incorporated in new construction.

 

[acommondisaster]

I've been trying to figure out how many days it's been cold enough to freeze on the road so far this year. My guess is less than 7.

The new rules for water is that it must be contained on the property as much as possible. That's why things like rain barrels and old fashioned dry wells as well as green (planted roofs) are being incorporated in new construction.

The new rules where? State regulation? County? I'd like to know. What constitutes "as much as possible"?

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

The new rules where? State regulation? County? I'd like to know. What constitutes "as much as possible"?

State with "encouragement" from Federal. That's what the "Rain Tax" is all about. We aren't covered under it down here yet as far as the tax goes but we still have to follow the containment part. Which actually isn't all that new, not being allowed to discharge stormwater off your property has always been there. It was just interpreted to mean you can't direct it onto your neighbor's property. Now it includes discharge onto public property.

Wait until your sewer bill includes a charge for treating stormwater runoff, that's down the road a ways but it's coming.

These things are included, for the most part, in PlanMD.

"As much as possible" is interpreted to mean as close to 100% as feasible with a minimum of 90%. If you come up to North Beach that's why we have a green (planted) roof on the new Town Hall, we couldn't meet the regs without it. You have the same thing up in Parole at the town center development with the one building on RTE 2, look at it and you can see the trees on the roof.

 

[GregV814]

The answer is quite simple....If O'Malley and Brown are still holding the reins, there is a fee associated with it.
If ChrisOlynnn and TommieJoe agree with it, it was either posted in the Huffington Post, Baltimore Sun or their spititual advisors told them to be "for" or "against" it.