Guides
Where your pump truck can legally dump septage in California and the Northeast
Named septage receiving stations in California and the Northeast, with the hauler registration and manifest each one requires and how to confirm access.
What to take away
- California receives hauled septage at municipal plants: Southeast and Oceanside in San Francisco, Terminal Island and Hyperion in Los Angeles, San Jose-Santa Clara, Sacramento Regional and San Diego's city plants.
- The Northeast runs through Hunts Point and Wards Island, four New Jersey authority plants, Philadelphia's two plants and a New England chain led by Deer Island.
- A state credential is not enough. Each plant issues its own discharge agreement, sets gate hours and can cap gallons per hauler per day.
- Tipping runs a typical four to fifteen cents per gallon with a minimum charge per load, and out-of-district waste prices higher.
- Every route needs a second and third approved plant before the truck leaves the yard.
What each state asks before a load moves
Federal rules set the floor. 40 CFR Part 503 covers domestic septage and sludge, and 40 CFR Chapter I Subchapter D covers discharges to a municipal plant.
Above that floor, the state decides who may haul. New York splits the file: the DEC regulates septage and plants hold SPDES permits, while county health licenses the hauler.
New Jersey's DEP approves the hauler and the receiving facility. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection runs New England's clearest framework, where a local board of health license sits beside state facility approval.
California puts the power in the nine regional water quality control boards, which write waste discharge requirements for each plant. Septage is one authority behind a fleet, and six authorities govern the legal and insurance side.
Named receiving plants in California
| Plant | Operator | Gate condition |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast, San Francisco | SFPUC | Prior approval, hauler account |
| Oceanside, San Francisco | SFPUC | Used when Southeast is at its cap |
| Terminal Island, Los Angeles | LA Sanitation and Environment | City permit, per-hauler cap |
| Hyperion, Los Angeles | LA Sanitation and Environment | Fallback when Terminal Island is down |
| San Jose-Santa Clara Regional | City of San Jose and Santa Clara County | Joint facility approval |
| Sacramento Regional | Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District | Published hauled waste schedule |
| Point Loma and Otay Mesa, San Diego | City Public Utilities Department | Acceptance set by waste type |
Gate phone numbers change with plant works, so take them from the current hauled waste schedule.
Named receiving plants in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
| Plant | Operator | Gate condition |
|---|---|---|
| Hunts Point, Bronx | New York City DEP | Hauler permit, booked window |
| Wards Island, Manhattan | New York City DEP | Second city point |
| Bergen Point, Bayonne | Bergen Point Sewerage Authority | Registered haulers only |
| Passaic Valley, Newark | Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission | Main northern New Jersey point |
| Linden Roselle | Linden Roselle Sewerage Authority | Union County rules |
| Joint Meeting, Elizabeth | Essex and Union Counties | Separate registration |
| Northeast and Southwest, Philadelphia | Philadelphia Water Department | City permit, scheduled window |
The plant superintendent or pretreatment coordinator decides acceptance. A plant outage shifts its allocation to the next facility, and two machines, two different regimes covers the upkeep behind the truck.
Named receiving plants in New England
| Plant | Operator | Gate condition |
|---|---|---|
| Deer Island, Fore River, Nut Island | MWRA | MWRA approval, tight waste limits |
| Upper Blackstone, Millbury | Abatement district | Worcester region |
| Fields Point, Providence | Narragansett Bay Commission | Rhode Island's main point |
| Hartford and New Haven | MDC and New Haven WPCA | Separate registrations |
| Burlington, Vermont | City of Burlington | Northern Vermont point |
| Manchester, New Hampshire | City of Manchester | Weekday windows |
| Portland, Maine | Portland Water District | Summer capacity pressure |
Vermont and Maine permit land application, so spreading is common there. Underground injection is a narrow permitted route most fleets never use.
What has to ride in the cab
Manifest rules differ by state, and the paper does one job: trace the load from generator to gate. Most Northeast programs want seven items on board.
Manifest Items in Every Truck
- Hauler license or registration number
- Vehicle identification and tank capacity
- Generator name and service address
- Date and time of collection
- Waste typeseptage, portable toilet, grease
- Volume in gallons
- Receiving facility signature or stamp
- Generator name, site address, pump-out date and time
- Volume in gallons and the tank or unit number
- Hauler name and state registration number
- Truck plate and driver name
- Waste typeseptage, holding tank, portable toilet or grease
- Receiving plant named for that trip
- Plant operator signature and gate gallons
Retention is set by your credential and your discharge agreement, so get the number in writing. Electronic manifests are accepted in several states, but a printed copy still rides in the truck. A new owner meets the same paper at the first inspection, and what inspectors expect covers the rest of the file.
Confirm access before the first load
- Call the pretreatment office, not the switchboard, and ask for the hauled waste coordinator.
- Ask about accepted waste codes, the daily gallon cap per hauler, receiving hours and the document the gate must see.
- Get the answer by email and record who gave it.
- Put the cap and the hours on the route sheet before stops are assigned.
Approval moves with the plant's permit cycle, so re-confirm quarterly and keep a second plant approved.
Fees, caps and the rate a schedule hides
| Market | Typical per-gallon range | Minimum per load | What pushes it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| California coastal metros | $0.05 to $0.15 | $50 to $150 | Permit limits, heavy haul traffic |
| New York metro | $0.04 to $0.12 | $40 to $125 | County licensing on top of state rules |
| New Jersey | $0.05 to $0.14 | $50 to $150 | Out-of-state waste priced higher |
| Boston metro | $0.06 to $0.15 | $60 to $175 | Tight plant capacity |
| Connecticut and Rhode Island | $0.05 to $0.14 | $50 to $150 | Few receiving points, short hours |
| Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine | $0.04 to $0.12 | $40 to $125 | Long hauls, seasonal pressure |
Planning ranges, not quotes. Cost per load is the number to track: 1,000 gallons at eight cents costs $80 at the gate.
Tipping Fees by Market
Market
- California coastal metros
- $0.05 to $0.15
- New York metro
- $0.04 to $0.12
- New Jersey
- $0.05 to $0.14
- Boston metro
- $0.06 to $0.15
- Connecticut and Rhode Island
- $0.05 to $0.14
- Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine
- $0.04 to $0.12
Per-Gallon Range
- California coastal metros
- $50 to $150
- New York metro
- $40 to $125
- New Jersey
- $50 to $150
- Boston metro
- $60 to $175
- Connecticut and Rhode Island
- $50 to $150
- Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine
- $40 to $125
Minimum Charge
- California coastal metros
- New York metro
- New Jersey
- Boston metro
- Connecticut and Rhode Island
- Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine
Caps are plant-set and sit in the discharge agreement as gallons per day per hauler account. They shrink for out-of-district waste and move at permit renewal. A truck that waits at the gate burns the same hours as one that pumps, so the day runs backward from the dump.
