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Planning board adopts policy on sanitary sewer force mains; vote 9-0
Summary
The Middlesex County Planning Board adopted Resolution 2025-O5 establishing county policy on sanitary sewer force mains in or crossing county right-of-way, requiring a permanent municipal point of contact and clarifying maintenance responsibilities; vote recorded as 9 in favor, motion carries.
The Middlesex County Planning Board approved Resolution 2025-O5, a policy that clarifies responsibilities for sanitary sewer force mains that run within county right-of-way and requires a reliable municipal point of contact for emergencies.
The resolution directs that developers assign responsibility for force mains to a public entity—preferably the municipality or a municipal sewer authority—so the county will have a reliable 24/7 contact in the event of a break. The board’s staff described instances where privately maintained force mains left the county without an accountable contact after developers or private owners changed, and said the policy provides predictability and a paper trail should legal challenges arise.
The resolution text, as read to the board, cites NJSA 40:27-6.20 in discussing the board’s authority to review subdivision and site-plan applications. The board’s presentation said the county permits force mains within its right-of-way but is not responsible for their construction, operation or maintenance; the adopted policy requires a permanent municipal contact even if operational maintenance is delegated to a private operator.
Board members noted the county’s prior practice of discouraging private force mains in county rights-of-way but acknowledged there are cases where geography or existing infrastructure make force mains necessary. The policy was described as non-retroactive and intended to apply to new applications going forward.
A motion to approve resolution 2025-O5 was made and seconded; the secretary read a roll call with recorded votes in favor from the members on the dais. The vote was announced as nine in favor and the motion carried.
The board and staff said the policy is intended to provide transparency for developers and predictability for county engineering staff and municipal partners going forward.
