An Act To Revise Maine's Environmental Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0399
Committee Amendment CA_A_H613 (House)
Amends: 38 MRSA §361-A, 38 MRSA §414-B, 38 MRSA §414-D

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,4,, to H.P. 290, L.D. 399, Bill, "An Act To Revise 
Maine's Environmental Laws" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act Regarding Municipal Satellite Wastewater Collection Systems' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 38 MRSA §361-A, sub-§3-D is enacted to read: 
3-D. Publicly owned treatment works. "Publicly owned treatment works" means a 
device or system for the treatment of pollutants that is owned by the State or a political 
subdivision thereof, a municipality, a district, a quasi-municipal corporation or another 
public entity. 
"Publicly owned treatment works" includes sewers, pipes or other 
conveyances only if they convey wastewater to a publicly owned treatment works 
providing treatment. 
Sec. 2. 38 MRSA §414-B, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2001, c. 232, §12, is 
repealed. 
Sec. 3. 38 MRSA §414-D is enacted to read: 
§414-D. Municipal satellite collection systems 
1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A. "Municipal satellite collection system" or "system" means a wastewater collection 
system. owned or operated by a municipality or a quasi-municipal entity, that directly 
or indirectly conveys wastewater to a publicly owned treatment works that is owned 
or operated by a separate legal entity. 
"Municipal satellite collection system" 
includes a gravity sewer and a force main. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITIEE AMENDMENT .. 4" to H.P. 290, L.D. 399 
B. "Unauthorized discharge" means a discharge of wastewater from a municipal 
satellite collection system to any location other than the publicly owned treatment 
works identified by the owner of the system pursuant to subsection 2. 
2. Registration. The owner of a municipal satellite collection system shall register 
the system with the department in accordance with this subsection on a form prepared and 
furnished by the department. The registration process required under this subsection 
must. at a minimum, require the owner of a municipal satellite collection system to 
provide the department with the following information: 
A. Contact information for the owner and the operator of the system; 
B. fuformation on the publicly owned treatment works that the system discharges to; 
C. Information on the geographic areas served by the system; 
D. A basic map or schematic diagram of the system; and 
E. System specifications. including. but not limited to, the number of miles of pipe 
within the system, the number and location of pump stations within the system and 
the number of customers served by the system. 
3. Report of unauthorized discharge. The owner or operator of a municipal 
satellite collection system shall report to the department any unauthorized discharge in 
accordance with this subsection. 
A. An initial report of the unauthorized discharge must be provided orally to the 
department by the owner or operator of the system within 24 hours of the time the 
owner or operator becomes aware of the discharge. 
B. A written report of the unauthorized discharge must be provided to the department 
by the owner or operator of the system within 5 days of the time the owner or 
operator becomes aware of the discharge. The written report must be submitted on a 
form prepared and :furnished by the department and must contain information on the 
unauthorized discharge including. but not limited to, the cause of the discharge, the 
date and time of the discharge, the location of the discharge, information on any 
water bodies that may be impacted by the discharge, the number of gallons of 
wastewater discharged and, if the discharge has not been corrected at the time of the 
written report, the anticipated amount of time that the discharge is expected to 
continue and the steps that the owner or operator plans to implement to reduce and 
eliminate the discharge and prevent a recurrence of the discharge.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment changes the title and replaces the bill, which is a concept draft. It 
requires the owner of a municipal satellite collection system to register the system with 
the Department of Environmental Protection and requires the owner or operator of the 
system to report to the department any unauthorized discharges of wastewater from the 
system. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Approved: 02/16/18 feac:. 
LD399 
LR 1339(02) 
An Act To Revise Maine's Environmental Laws 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment {j«Cff-.... i /6) 
Committee: Environment and Natural Resources 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Any additional costs to the Department of Environmental Protection to manage the registration and discharge 
reporting requirements associated with municipal satellite collection systems are anticipated to be minor and can be 
absorbed within existing budgeted :resources. 
LR1339(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1