H. Notification of Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO)

Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO)
Hinsdale’s Public Notification Protocol

In January 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed An Act Promoting Awareness of Sewage in Public Waters into law. This law requires cities and towns across the State to ensure the public is informed when untreated sewage flows into Massachusetts waters.
The law requires notification whenever untreated sewage is released as part of a “Combined Sewer Overflow” (CSO) or a certain “Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO). The regulations promulgated by MA-DEP related to this law are outlined in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations, specifically https://www.mass.gov/regulations/314-CMR-1600-notification-requirements-to-promote-public-awareness-of-sewage-pollution/

Following the new law and regulations, the Town of Hinsdale will send public advisory notifications if a CSO or SSO occurs. If you wish to be notified of such an event, please go
to www.hinsdalemass.com/subscribe and select Sanitary Sewer Overflow Notifications from the list. In the event of an occurrence, you will receive a notification via email. Hinsdale’s protocol in the event of a circumstance is laid out in this diagram.

MassDEP lists discharge and overflow occurrences across the State at https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/portal/#!/home

If you have further questions, please get in touch with McKenzie Doyle in the DPW- Water/Sewer Department at 508-655-2300, x307, or mdoyle@hinsdalema.gov. Please note that McKenzie works part- time, with office hours Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. She will return your call or email during her next workday.