Temporary Discharge of Groundwater into the City Sewer System

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.