MILFORD - The town has taken a Prentice Avenue man to court, charging him with contaminating the Charles River with raw sewage through an illegal hookup to the town's storm drain system.

Celio Desouza Ferreira is charged with violating the town's stormwater management bylaw and polluting waterways. Officials say he refused to comply with the town's order to correct the problem.

Sewer Superintendent John Mainini said his crews used dye tests to track the source of pollution - which was detected in the Charles River last year - to 14 Prentice Ave., a two-family home built about 1900.

Town Engineer Mike Santora said the illegal connection was likely forged "decades ago," but Ferreira, as the current property owner, is responsible.

Ferreira is scheduled to face a judge May 7 in Milford District Court.

The town is seeking fines and a court order for Ferreira to properly connect the home to the municipal sewer system, as officials say sewage continues to drain into the stormwater system and, thereby, the Charles River.

"The illegal connection is still there," said Public Health Director Paul Mazzuchelli. "This is something that has to be corrected one way or the other."

Milford Water Co. manager Henry Papuga said the contamination does not impact the town's drinking water. The company seasonally draws from the Charles north of Dilla Steet, far upstream of the contamination, he said.

A bylaw the town enacted in 2005 prohibits illegal connections and discharge into the stormwater and sewer systems, and also regulates trash disposal.

Violators of the bylaw are subject to fines of $300 a day.

"My educated guess would be that no one knew about it - I don't think it's intentional at all," Santora said.

Santora said the pollution is neither insignificant nor catastrophic, but "somewhere in between."

The major problem, Mazzuchelli said, is that Ferreira refuses to comply with the order to correct the situation.

"It's unacceptable. What you're doing is you're blatantly polluting," Mazzuchelli said.

Town Counsel Gerald Moody said the district attorney's office will prosecute the case.

Ferreira could not be reached for comment yesterday.