Why is it illegal for me to have basement floor drains, sump pumps and roof drains hooked into my sewer service line?

Modern sewage transport and treatment systems are designed to handle only domestic sewerage flows and components. The high water flows associated with heavy rains overload these systems and cause expensive repairs. Regulatory agencies such as EPA and DEP have also placed restrictions and mandates on the City citing the removal and treatment of these excess flows which can cause bypasses of the treatment plant causing pollution in the Kennebec River. An example of this is the new $4,200,000 Combined Sewer Overflow/Retention and Treatment Basin (CSO/RTB) under construction at the Gardiner Waterfront scheduled to begin operation in September of 2016.