The NJPDES Program protects New Jersey's ground and surface water quality by assuring the proper treatment and discharge of wastewater (and its residuals) and stormwater from various types of facilities and activities. To accomplish this, permits are issued limiting the mass and/or concentration of pollutants which may be discharged into ground water, streams, rivers, and the ocean. The types of regulated facilities can range from very small users such as campgrounds, schools, and shopping centers to larger industrial and municipal wastewater dischargers.
Before a new wastewater treatment plant can be constructed, its proposed discharge must be authorized under a NJPDES permit. The permit will contain discharge pollutant limits sufficient to safeguard the integrity of the receiving waterbody. The limits also provide an engineer with the information needed to determine how to design a new treatment plant, or upgrade an existing one.
