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Council begins discussion on ordinance to ban discharge onto town roadways
Summary
Town staff introduced a proposed ordinance amendment to prohibit discharge of water onto town-owned roadways to reduce winter icing, roadway damage and town liability; the measure is for discussion and no formal vote was taken.
Town staff introduced a draft ordinance amendment that would prohibit discharging water onto municipal roadways, citing winter icing, roadway degradation and liability risks.
The town administrator explained the current code prohibits certain discharges to the wastewater system but does not explicitly prohibit pumping or directing water onto town-owned roads. “We don’t have an ordinance… that covers discharge of water onto our town owned roads,” the administrator said, and noted the change under discussion would be limited to public rights-of-way rather than private-to-private discharges. Staff described how the town is not seeking to regulate private property-to-private-property drainage disputes by ordinance and that many private disputes remain matters for zoning, building code or civil resolution.
Council members asked whether the proposed ordinance would apply to state roads and whether the town would open a permitting process; staff said the draft currently targeted town roads only and that creating a permitting regime for state roads was not anticipated. No adoption or formal action occurred; the council asked staff to continue the conversation and refine draft language for future meetings.
