Part II. Operational Regulations
Article 1
Monitoring
9VAC25-790-260. Influent and effluent monitoring.
Article 1
Monitoring
A. Methods. Sampling and testing methods shall conform to permit requirements, or if not specified, to current United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines establishing test procedures for analysis of pollutants or other EPA approved methods.
B. Schedule. The operation and maintenance manual shall contain a specific testing schedule of the minimum tests and their frequencies to be conducted by the facility in accordance with the appropriate certificate and permit issued. If not specifically addressed in the issued certificate and permit, influent and effluent monitoring shall be in accordance with this schedule. Typical tests are listed in 9VAC25-790-960.
C. Sampling. The following sampling instructions shall be followed when collecting samples as required to comply with this chapter and standards contained in this chapter.
1. Raw sewage samples are be collected prior to the treatment process unit operations; samples may be collected following the bar screen or comminutor.
2. Final effluent samples are to be taken at a point following all unit operations in the treatment process. An evaluation of chlorine reduction or dechlorination methods will require monitoring of chlorine residual and fecal coliform levels in treated sewage flows following the chlorine contact tank.
3. Chlorine residual, fecal coliform, pH, temperature and DO test samples may consist of grab samples of sewage flow obtained immediately prior to analytical measurements.
4. Compositing of samples shall be in accordance with the treatment works operation and maintenance manual. Composite samples of sewage flows shall consist of grab samples taken at a minimum frequency of one per hour and should be combined in proportion to flow. Greater frequency of grab sampling may be desirable where abnormal variation in waste strength occurs. Automatic flow proportional samplers are considered a valid sampling method.
Statutory Authority
§ 62.1-44.19 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Former 12VAC5-581-320 derived from Virginia Register Volume 18, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2002; amended and adopted as 9VAC25-790-260, Virginia Register Volume 20, Issue 9, eff. February 12, 2004.
9VAC25-790-270. Operational testing and control.
A. Methods. Sampling and testing methods shall conform to the issued certificate and permit requirements. In addition, current United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines and test procedures for analysis of pollutants may be used, as well as other EPA recommended methods.
B. Schedule. The operation and maintenance manual shall contain a specific schedule of the minimum tests and their frequency to be conducted by the treatment works and sampling instructions. Tests and sampling shall be in accordance with the requirements established by the instructions contained in the treatment works' operation and maintenance manual. Typical tests and sampling instructions are contained in this chapter.
C. Information. If necessary, additional operational control information may be requested on an individual treatment works basis by the department to evaluate performance reliability.
D. Records.
1. The owner shall maintain records on the treatment works operation, maintenance and laboratory testing. The records shall be available for review by department and area engineer during inspections at reasonable times. Any records of monitoring activities and results shall include at least the following for all samples:
a. The date, place, and time of sampling or measurements.
b. Individual that performed the sampling or measurements.
c. The dates analyses were performed.
d. Individual that performed analysis.
e. The analytical techniques or methods used.
f. The results of such analyses.
2. The owner shall maintain for a minimum of three years any records of monitoring activities and results, including all original strip chart recordings for continuous monitoring and instrumentation and all calibration and maintenance records. This period of retention shall be extended during the course of any unresolved litigation regarding the discharge of pollutants by the owner or upon the request of the director.
Statutory Authority
§ 62.1-44.19 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Former 12VAC5-581-330 derived from Virginia Register Volume 18, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2002; amended and adopted as 9VAC25-790-270, Virginia Register Volume 20, Issue 9, eff. February 12, 2004.
9VAC25-790-280. Land based monitoring system.
A. Land application of effluent. The Operation and Maintenance Manual shall contain a schedule of required minimum tests and their frequency to be conducted for the land treatment system and shall also contain instructions for recording and reporting. Monitoring, reporting, and recording for land treatment systems shall be in accordance with the treatment works' Operation and Maintenance Manual. Information concerning monitoring, recording and reporting for land application of effluent are contained in this chapter.
B. Sewage sludge and residual solids management. Either the Operation and Maintenance Manual or the sludge management plan shall contain a list of required minimum tests to be conducted for the sewage sludge and residual solids management system and shall also contain instructions for recording and reporting. Monitoring, reporting, and recording requirements for sewage sludge and residual solids management shall be in accordance with the sludge management plan or operation plan in accordance with this chapter and the Biosolids Use Regulations (12VAC5-585). Suggested monitoring, reporting, and recording for sewage sludge and residual solids management are described in this chapter. The record keeping and reporting requirements for sewage sludge and residual solids management contained in the treatment works Operation and Maintenance Manual or sludge management plan shall apply to all application sites, regardless of size or frequency of application. However, the requirements relative to monitoring, reporting, and recording of site specific soils and the monitoring, reporting, and recording of ground water and surface water are not applicable for any site that meets criteria established in the Biosolids Use Regulations (12VAC5-585) for a monitoring waiver.
Statutory Authority
§ 62.1-44.19 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Former 12VAC5-581-340 derived from Virginia Register Volume 18, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2002; amended and adopted as 9VAC25-790-280, Virginia Register Volume 20, Issue 9, eff. February 12, 2004.
Article 2
Operation and Maintenance Manuals
9VAC25-790-290. Manuals.
Article 2
Operation and Maintenance Manuals
A. General. The general purpose of the manual is to present both technical guidance and regulatory requirements to facilitate operation and maintenance of the sewerage systems and treatment works for both normal conditions and generally anticipated adverse conditions. The manual should be designed as a reference document, being as brief as possible while presenting the information in a readily accessible manner. The manual shall be tailored to the size and type of system being employed. The manual shall be directed toward the operating staff required for the facility as listed in Table 1. The manual shall be updated as necessary and be made available to the operating staff.
B. Contents. The manual shall contain the elements included in 9VAC25-790-260 B; 9VAC25-790-270 B; 9VAC25-790-280 B; subsection A of this section; and 9VAC25-790-300 B, C and D. In addition, the manual should contain, for information and guidance purposes, additional schedules that supplement these required schedules to assist operations by defining desired levels of staffing, testing, etc. Suggested contents are contained in 9VAC25-790-950 and 9VAC25-790-960.
Statutory Authority
§ 62.1-44.19 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Former 12VAC5-581-350 derived from Virginia Register Volume 18, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2002; amended and adopted as 9VAC25-790-290, Virginia Register Volume 20, Issue 9, eff. February 12, 2004.
Article 3
Requirements for Sewerage Systems and Treatment Works Reliability
9VAC25-790-300. Reliability.
Article 3
Requirements for Sewerage Systems and Treatment Works Reliability
A. Additional operation and maintenance documentation may be necessary where performance reliability has not been established or worker safety and public health protection is questioned.
B. Operability. Independently operated essential equipment or components of sewerage systems and treatment works shall be provided with sufficient duplication or alternative operation so that the average daily design flow may be transported, stored, treated, or otherwise managed in accordance with reliability requirements with the largest component out of service. Sufficient spare parts to ensure continuous operability of essential unit operations and equipment shall be kept in a central storeroom located at the treatment works or at other readily accessible locations, and the minimum quantities shall be in accordance with the operation and maintenance manual. The need for spare parts should be determined from review of manufacturer's recommendations, evaluation of past maintenance requirements, and any other relevant factors. A spare parts inventory shall be included in the operation and maintenance manual. The inventory shall list the minimum and maximum quantities of the spare parts to be kept on hand, the equipment in which the spare parts are used, the storage location of the spare parts, replacement procedures, and other pertinent information. A suggested spare parts inventory system is contained in Part IV (9VAC25-790-940 et seq.) of this chapter.
C. Maintenance. A regular program of preventive maintenance shall be adhered to. The Operations and Maintenance Manual shall contain a system of maintenance requirements to be accomplished.
1. A minimum preventive maintenance system shall be provided in accordance with the Operations and Maintenance Manual. Such a system should provide for advanced scheduling of preventive maintenance and should be continually assessed in order to reflect increased service requirements as equipment ages or flow rates increase.
2. Adequate records, files, and inventories to assist the operator in this task should also be maintained.
3. A schedule for testing the integrity of all auxiliary standby power equipment, portable pumps, automatic electrical switchover gear, and diversion piping should be developed and adhered to on a regular basis. A suggested maintenance system is outlined in this chapter. In cases where certain components of the treatment process may be damaged by flooding from natural events in such a manner as to cause excessive delays in restoring the treatment process to the design operating level, the means of removal of such components prior to flooding should be described in the Operational and Maintenance Manual.
D. Personnel.
1. Every sewage treatment works owner shall employ or contract an operator who holds a current wastewater operator license, issued in accordance with Chapter 23 (§ 54.1-2300 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia, of the appropriate class for the type of facility, as determined by the department, or higher class at the owner's option. If the position of the licensed operator of the appropriate class is unexpectedly vacated due to death, extended illness, firing for cause, resignation, or similar cause, the treatment works owner shall notify the department promptly and in accordance with any specific timeframe directed by the department. The department shall temporarily waive the licensed operator requirement for the interim, provided the owner (i) informs the department in writing of the owner's designation of another licensed operator or professional engineer responsible for interim operations within five days of the vacancy, (ii) informs the department in writing within 10 days of the vacancy arising of the owner's plan to hire a replacement licensed operator of the appropriate class as soon as practicable, (iii) implements the hiring plan diligently, and (iv) provides a monthly report to the department on the implementation and progress of such hiring plan. The department may revoke the temporary waiver if the department finds that continued operation pursuant to the waiver presents a public health or water quality threat due to statutory, regulatory, or permit violations.
2. The recommended attendance hours by a licensed operator and the minimum daily hours that the treatment works should be manned by operating staff are contained in Table 1. The number of operating staff provided daily at a treatment works depends upon these requirements, as well as upon the permit compliance status and the operational conditions, such as:
a. The design capacity (flow);
b. The quality of the effluent;
c. The complexity of the treatment processes used; and
d. The fact that only a licensed operator may be specified as the individual in charge of overseeing permit compliance.
In instances where the recommended hours of attendance by a licensed operator are less than the daily hours the treatment works is to be manned by operating staff (see Table 1), a licensed operator is not required to be physically located at the treatment works site during the remaining designated manning hours, provided that the licensed operator is able to respond to requests for assistance in a satisfactory manner, as described in the Operation and Maintenance Manual.
3. Where the facility is equipped with adequate technological capability, the department shall credit remote monitoring of the facility by a licensed operator of the appropriate class as operator attendance toward recommended licensed operator attendance hours, provided that the owner submits and the department approves a remote monitoring plan demonstrating that the facility possesses sufficient technology for the remote operator to adequately monitor the facility and manage onsite operators with a lower license class, mechanics, or other staff to operate the facility under the remote operator's direct supervision. In determining whether to approve a remote monitoring plan for multiple facilities, the department may consider the number of facilities the remote operator is monitoring simultaneously, whether the multiple facilities being monitored remotely are under common ownership, whether the remote operator is employed by the owner of the multiple facilities, and whether occasional in-person attendance is provided, among other factors. The department may cease crediting remote monitoring if the department finds that continued operation pursuant to the remote monitoring plan presents a public health or water quality threat due to statutory, regulatory, or permit violations. The department shall not credit remote monitoring by an operator without the appropriate license class who is operating the waterworks or treatment facility pursuant to a temporary waiver issued under subdivision 1 of this subsection.
E. Conditions. The objective of treatment works operation should be to provide the most reliable and efficient performance that can be practically achieved in compliance with permit requirements, while providing for safe working conditions. Operational health and safety provisions are critical. Cross-media pollution prevention measures should be evaluated and developed where practical, and material safety data sheets for toxic chemicals used should be readily available.
1. Alternate operating provisions shall be utilized as necessary in accordance with the reliability classification. An all-weather road shall be provided to permit access to and from the treatment works during normal weather conditions. Escape routes and methods should be established for emergency situations.
2. Pretreatment requirements as set forth in the State Water Control Board's regulations should be established and monitored in accordance with local regulations specific to such requirements.
3. Local standards and specifications approved in accordance with this chapter shall provide for the construction methods, as necessary in accordance with the local owner's sewer line maintenance program, to minimize excessive amounts of infiltration and inflow and prevent the accumulation of solids or debris that would interfere with the transmission of flow resulting in overflows, bypassing, or offline flow surcharges, such as in service connections.
4. Odor control measures should be established in accordance with site-specific features and weather patterns. Development of objectionable odors shall be addressed by the best available odor control technology.
TABLE 1. | ||||
Treatment Works Classification & Treatment Required Classification of the Operator in Responsible Charge | Treatment Works Capacity (MGD) | Treatment Process Methods | Recommended Attendance by a Licensed Operator(2,3) Time-Hrs. | Recommended Daily Hours that Works Should Be Manned(2,3) |
I | Greater than 10 MGD | Biological Treatment Methods | ||
(A) Suspended Growth Reactors | 24 | 24 | ||
(B) Aerated Lagoons or Constructed Wetlands | 16 | 24 | ||
(C) Filters or Other Attached Growth Contactors | 24 | 24 | ||
(D) Processes Utilizing Biological Nutrient Control | 24 | 24 | ||
(E) Processes Utilizing Land Treatment | During Land Application | - - | ||
I | Equal to or less than 10 MGD but greater than 5 MGD | Biological Treatment Methods | ||
(A) Suspended Growth Reactors | 16 | 24 | ||
(B) Aerated Lagoons or Constructed Wetlands | 8 | 16 | ||
(C) Filters or Other Attached Growth Contactors | 16 | 24 | ||
(D) Processes Utilizing Biological Nutrient Control | 16 | 24 | ||
(E) Processes Utilizing Land Treatment | During Land Application | - - | ||
I | Greater than 5 MGD | Advanced Waste Treatment (AWT) | ||
(A) Ammonia Stripping | 24 | 24 | ||
(B) Breakpoint Chlorination | 24 | 24 | ||
(C) Carbon Adsorption | 24 | 24 | ||
(D) Chemical Coagulation, Flocculation, Precipitation | 24 | 24 | ||
(E) Filtration | 24 | 24 | ||
(F) Demineralization (Ion Exchange, Reverse Osmosis, Electrodialysis) | 24` | 24 | ||
I | Equal to or less than 5 MGD but greater than 2.5 MGD | Advanced Waste Treatment | ||
(A) Ammonia Stripping | 16 | 24 | ||
(B) Breakpoint Chlorination | 16 | 24 | ||
(C) Carbon Adsorption | 16 | 24 | ||
(D) Chemical Coagulation, Flocculation, Precipitation | 16 | 24 | ||
(E) Filtration | 16 | 24 | ||
(F) Demineralization (Ion Exchange, Reverse Osmosis, Electrodialysis) | 16 | 24 | ||
(G) Microstraining/Screening | 16 | 24 | ||
II | Greater than 2.5 MGD but equal to or less than 5.0 MGD | Biological Treatment Methods | ||
(A) Suspended Growth Reactors | 8 | 24 | ||
(B) Aerated Lagoons or Constructed Wetlands | 8 | 26 | ||
(C) Filters or Other Attached Growth Contactors | 8 | 24 | ||
(D) Processes Utilizing Biological Nutrient Control | 8 | 24 | ||
(E) Processes Utilizing Land Treatment | During Land Application | - - | ||
II | Greater than 0.5 MGD but equal to or less than 2.5 MGD | Biological Treatment Methods | ||
(A) Suspended Growth Reactors | 8 | 16 | ||
(B) Aerated Lagoons | 4 | 8 | ||
(C) Filters or Other Attached Growth Contactors | 8 | 16 | ||
(D) Processes Utilizing Biological Nutrient Control | 8 | 16 | ||
(E) Processes Utilizing Land Treatment | During Land Application | - - | ||
II | Greater than 0.1 MGD but equal to or less than 2.5 MGD | Advanced Waste Treatment | ||
(A) Ammonia Stripping | 8 | 16 | ||
(B) Breakpoint Chlorination | 8 | 16 | ||
(C) Carbon Adsorption | 8 | 16 | ||
(D) Chemical Coagulation, Flocculation, Precipitation | 8 | 16 | ||
(E) Filtration | 8 | 16 | ||
(F) Demineralization (Ion Exchange, Reverse Osmosis, Electrodialysis) | 8 | 16 | ||
III | Greater than 0.04 MGD but Equal to or less than 0.5 MGD | Biological Treatment Methods | ||
(A) Suspended Growth Reactors | 8 | 8 | ||
(B) Aerated Lagoons or Constructed Wetlands | 8 | 8 | ||
(C) Filters or Other Attached Growth Contractors | 8 | 8 | ||
(D) Processes Utilizing Biological Nutrient Control | 8 | 8 | ||
(E) Processes Utilizing Land Treatment | During Land Application | - - | ||
III | Greater than 1.00 MGD | Natural Treatment Methods | 4 | 8 |
III | Greater than 0.001 MGD but equal to or less than 0.1 MGD | Advanced Waste Treatment | ||
(A) Ammonia Stripping | 8 | 8 | ||
(B) Breakpoint Chlorination | 8 | 8 | ||
(C) Carbon Adsorption | 8 | 8 | ||
(D) Chemical Coagulation, Flocculation, Precipitation | 8 | 8 | ||
(E) Filtration | 8 | 8 | ||
(F) Demineralization (Ion Exchange, Reverse Osmosis, Electrodialysis) | 8 | 8 | ||
IV | Greater than 0.001 MGD but equal to or less than 0.04 MGD | Biological Mechanical Methods(4) | 4(5) | 4(5) |
IV | Greater than 0.001 MGD but equal to or less than 1.00 MGD | Natural Treatment Methods(4) | 4(5) | 4(5) |
Notes: (1)Specific requirements for the number of licensed operators and the number and qualifications of the operating staff specified in accordance with this chapter and in consultation with and concurrence by the director are to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with operational reliability and permit compliance data. Such requirements are to be included in the Operation and Maintenance Manual. (2)If a particular treatment unit is discontinued or not in use for a significant period of time and the remaining treatment processes result in a lower classification for the treatment works, the licensed operator and operating staff requirements during that period may be reduced to that required for the type and classification of treatment process remaining in service, after concurrence by the director. (3)If more than one sewage treatment process is used, the more stringent requirements among the processes will apply. In some cases, complexity of operation for several AWT processes in sequence may require more than the minimum coverage. (4)Mechanical treatment processes are defined as those containing aerated and mixed flows using electrical or outside energy sources. (5)An operator is not required unless the facility is designated as a wastewater treatment works by DEQ. | ||||
Statutory Authority
§§ 62.1-44.19 and 62.1-44.19:3.5 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Former 12VAC5-581-360 derived from Virginia Register Volume 18, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2002; amended and adopted as 9VAC25-790-300, Virginia Register Volume 20, Issue 9, eff. February 12, 2004; amended, Virginia Register Volume 41, Issue 1, eff. September 25, 2024.