Another reason to upgrade the original Winslow plant was the distance between Winslow Township and Camden. Building and maintaining collection pipes would cost more than buying, upgrading, and running the Winslow plant. But in some cases, there are good reasons to cross an uphill slope. Sometimes an uphill shortcut can allow much less total pipe length. Avoiding harm to environmentally sensitive areas or existing buildings can require an uphill detour.
Wastewater enters the regional system at the sites of former municipal treatment plants.
Sometimes it needs to go uphill from a collection station to join the rest of the system. The twenty-five pumping stations raise water to a level high enough to overcome such obstacles and continue to the main plant. Businesses found to be at risk are issued permits spelling out the limits on pollutants likely to be in their wastewater. The businesses must have their discharges tested at stated intervals and report on the test results. Fines can be assessed if necessary to enforce compliance.