General Information
WE ARE LOCATED: In the OMNI Building on Corlies Avenue. Payments are to the Ocean Grove Sewerage Authority (OGSA), P. O. Box 1045, Neptune, NJ 07754. Our office is open to the public Monday thru Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. We are closed on Saturday, Sunday and Municipal Holidays.
PAYMENTS: We cannot accept cash payments either by mail or in our office; if you would like to make cash payments you may do so at the Kearny Bank located on Main Avenue in Ocean Grove (OG). Kearny Bank is open 6 days a week. Please bring the entire bill when paying in person at the bank or our office. You can make on-line payments (via credit card or e-check) at: oceangrove.mygovhub.com
SEWAGE BACK UP, ETC. If you are having a problem with sewage backup your first call should be to Public Works at 732-775-8797. This is a service that is paid for by the OGSA as part of our maintenance agreement. Public Works will check to see if there is a problem with our main. If a problem occurs after hours or on weekends the message at Public Works directs you to call the Police at 732-988-8000 and report the back up.
ILLEGAL HOOK UP: It is illegal to hook up a sump pump, cellar drain, down spout, driveway drain, swimming pool, ornamental ponds or any other “in flow” intrusion to the sanitary sewer system; all clean water pumped out must go into the street or the storm water sewer. In the event a resident does have an illegal hook-up; there is a mandatory assessment, which is in excess of $1,000. The OGSA does have the right to request a plumbing official inspect a residence suspected of an illegal hook-up.
There are reasons your sump, etc. must be diverted into the street, rather than the sanitary sewer. The two biggest are cost and capacity. We pay the Township of Neptune Sewerage Authority (TNSA) to process our sewage. We pay the same amount to process the “clean” water as we do the sewage. During the heavy rains we have exceeded our allotted capacity. This may result in fines to the OGSA resulting in rate increases. We are making you aware of this because there have been assessments issued by the OGSA and the homeowner’s claim that they were not aware of the Rules & Regulations does not absolve them of the responsibility to follow the rules, thus the assessments are not waived.
Approximately half of our budget is paid to the Township of Neptune Sewerage Authority (TNSA) to process the flow from OG. OGSA’s ongoing pipe replacement project helps to reduce the flow by eliminating ground water or rainwater from infiltrating the sanitary sewer line. If each homeowner would do their share by complying with the law and divert sump pumps and downspouts from sewage lines it will reduce rates in the long run.
CHANGE OF ADDRESSES: All changes to your billing address must be in writing. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to provide us with the correct mailing address.
BILLING - We bill quarterly. Bills are mailed in January, April, July and October. Your bills are comprised of two parts; an annual service charge and usage. The annual service charge is billed in January. Usage is billed quarterly based on water consumption provided by the NJ American Water Company. Usage billed by the water company in October, November and December is billed in January; usage billed by the water company in January, February and March is billed in April; usage billed by the water company in April, May and June is billed in July; and usage billed by the water company in July, August and September is billed in October.
Please be advised that our office does not accept postmarks as receipt dates; payments must be received in our office by the due date. Interest is charged monthly on delinquent balances. OGSA is not responsible for bills not received (NJSA 54: 4-64). Remember that outstanding balances at year end create a lien on the property. Unpaid balances are turned over to the Township at the end of December for administration of the lien sale.
SEWER FEES DUE TO WATER LOSS: It is acknowledged that sewer bills to customers are based on water use and is therefore based on the customer’s water charge from the servicing water company. It is the policy of the OGSA that if for some reason a customer’s water pipes break or there is a cause for unusual loss of water not caused by any act or negligence of the OGSA and should the servicing water company refuse to forgive the cost of the customer caused by the loss, then it shall be the policy of the OGSA that it cannot forgive the additional sewer cost arising from the water loss.
GENERAL INFORMATION - OGSA is responsible for sanitary sewers mains only. Storm drainage is handled by the Township.
DO NOT POST DATE CHECKS – All checks are deposited immediately upon receipt. The Bank will not accept post-dated checks. As such, the check will be returned uncashed to the owner.
WHY ARE WE SEPARATE FROM NEPTUNE? - The Township of Neptune took over for the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA) in the operations and maintenance of the OG sewerage system. This was in accordance with the decision by the New Jersey Superior Court, Chancery Division on June 24, 1983.
It was determined by the Township that the operation and maintenance of the OG sewers could be preserved and adequate revenues more readily assured by the establishment of a separate sewerage district. This resulted in the creation of the Ocean Grove Sewerage District (OGSD) on August 20, 1984. The purpose of the OGSD was:
· To assure the proper collection of sewage & other wastewater originating in OG.
· To provide for the payment of the cost and expense in connection therewith.
· To assume the responsibilities of the treatment service agreement with TNSA.
On June 20, 1994, the governing body of the Township adopted an ordinance creating a sewerage authority under the name of the OGSA to undertake the responsibilities and obligations of the OGSD.
PIPE REPLACEMENT PROJECT - In 1988 we cleaned and televised the entire sanitary sewer system in OG. We videotaped this process. This taping was the basis for determining the phases for replacing the aging sanitary sewer system. It was determined that 70% of OG sanitary sewer pipes were in need of replacing. A schedule was established starting with those streets in the most need.
We completed Phases I through XVI between 1990 - 2022. To date, over 50% of our system has been replaced. To fund these Phases, we try to obtain County grant money. We were unable to receive grant money for the first few phases because we were not an independent authority but rather considered part of the Township. With the creation of an independent authority in June 1994, we became eligible for County grant monies and thus can apply for grant money every other year. Most of our phases were partiallyfunded with grant money until Phase XIII. After several unsuccessful requests for funding, we solely funded Phase XIII in 2014. Phase XIV (2017) and Phase XV (2020) used grant money received. Phase XVI was fully fund in 2022 by the OGSA. Phase XVII (2023) was partially funded with grant money. The paving for this project is slated for Spring of 2024.