All residents, businesses, and government agencies wanting to discharge groundwater (e.g., construction/dewatering projects, groundwater remediation systems, etc.) or other temporary discharges (e.g., power wash runoff, hydro-demolition wastewater, etc.) to the public sewer system must submit a Temporary Discharge Authorization (TDA) Permit Application [DOC 205 KB] to DCWASA's Pretreatment Coordinator. The application submittal shall include an analysis of the wastewater, a copy of any engineering plans or documents, and a site map showing the discharge location. There is no permit application fee.

The application package shall be mailed or delivered to the Pretreatment Coordinator at:

DC Water and Sewer Authority
Department of Wastewater Treatment, CMF 2nd Floor
5000 Overlook Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20032
Telephone: 202-787-4177

For expeditious processing, a copy of the application package may also be faxed to 202-787-4226 (with hard copy to follow in the mail).

Additional DCWASA contacts are required to complete the TDA permit process:

1. A sewer availability certificate may be required for connection to the public sewer system.
2. DCWASA's Department of Engineering and Technical Services must conduct a hydraulic assessment to identify any flow restrictions. This is accomplished by faxing a copy of the TDA permit and the site map showing the discharge location to Hung Truong at 202-787-2453. DPS acknowledges the method of tap/connection and estimates the connection fee.
3. DCWASA's Customer Service Billing and Measurement Office must be notified to identify metering requirements and sewer use fees. Contact Raymond Haynesworth at 202-612-3490.
4. DCWASA's Department of Sewer Services must be notified of the discharge location. Contact Dunbar Regis at 202-264-3829.

Once a permit is obtained, the permittee must submit periodic monitoring reports to the Pretreatment Coordinator as required under site-specific conditions in the TDA permit. Unscheduled random inspections of project sites may also be conducted.

If the groundwater is not contaminated and the discharge location is in a separate storm sewer area, the applicant will be required to direct the discharge to the storm sewer. To determine if the project is in a separate storm sewer area, you can obtain a copy of the sewer map for the project area from the Documents and Permits Office (please refer to the Permits General Information page for more information). The following contacts are required before discharging to the storm sewer:

1. A sewer availability certificate may be required for connection to the public sewer system.
2. The Department of Health Environmental Health Administration must be notified. Contact the Water Quality Division at 202-535-2190.