(1) All persons operating wastewater
treatment facilities shall prepare, adopt and keep current an operation and
maintenance manual. The operation and maintenance manual shall be submitted to
the Department for review and approval. The manual will be presumed approved if
the Department does not issue a written approval, conditional approval, denial
or request for further information within 90 days after submittal. The
submittal and issuance dates are the dates that the manual and the Department's
approval, conditional approval, denial or information request are postmarked.
The manual shall be implemented as approved. The operation and maintenance
manual shall contain all information needed by the operator of the treatment
works to properly operate and maintain said treatment works in accordance with
the requirements of
314 CMR 12.00, and shall
include at a minimum the following items:
(a)
Introduction;
(b) Permits and
Standards;
(c) Description,
Operation and Control of Wastewater Treatment Facilities;
(d) Description, Operation and Control of
Sludge Handling Facilities;
(e)
Description, Operation, Control and Testing of the Chemical Addition and
Monitoring System;
(f)
Personnel;
(g) Sampling and
Laboratory Analysis;
(h) Records
and Reporting;
(i)
Maintenance;
(j) Emergency
Operating and Response Program;
(k)
Safety;
(l) Utilities and Energy
Requirements;
(m) Infiltration and
Inflow Removal;
(n) Emergency
Notification Procedures for overflows or bypasses in accordance with
314 CMR
12.03(8).
(2) All sewer system authorities
shall develop and implement an ongoing plan to control infiltration and inflow
(I/I) to the sewer system, which shall be submitted upon request of the
Department for review and approval. The plan shall describe the preventative
maintenance program that identifies and mitigates infiltration/inflow entering
the sewer system in order to prevent all unauthorized discharges of wastewater,
including, but not limited to, sanitary sewer overflows and by-passes due to
excessive infiltration/inflow. The plan shall include:
(a) An ongoing program to identify and
eliminate sources of infiltration and inflow. The program shall include the
necessary funding level and the source(s) of funding to implement the
program.
(b) An inflow
identification and control program that focuses on the disconnection and
redirection of public and private sources of illegal inflow. Priority shall be
given to removal of public and private inflow sources that are upstream from,
and potentially contribute to, known areas of sewer system backups and/or
overflows.
(c) A phased evaluation
of the sewer system, consistent with the Department's Guidelines for Performing
Infiltration/Inflow Analysis and Sewer Systems Evaluation Survey, to determine
its existing condition, the presence and quantity of infiltration and inflow
into the system, and locations and risks of wet weather sanitary sewer
overflows or by-passes in the sewer system. The Infiltration/Inflow Analysis
may assess a range of design storms, but shall specifically assess the risk of
sewer system overflows for a five year, 24 hour storm event. The sewer system
authority shall proceed with the evaluation in accordance with the following
scope and schedule, unless otherwise required by the Department pursuant to an
enforcement order:
1.On or before December 31,
2017, complete an Infiltration/Inflow Analysis of the sewer system, and submit
a report to the Department for review and approval describing the work
completed, the findings from the sewer metering program and Infiltration/Inflow
Analysis, and a recommended plan and schedule to proceed with a Sewer System
Evaluation Survey in areas of the sewer system determined to have excessive
infiltration or inflow.
2.Complete
and report on the Sewer System Evaluation Survey in accordance with terms and
schedules set forth in the approved Infiltration/Inflow Analysis report. The
results of each Sewer System Evaluation Survey shall be included in a report,
submitted to the Department for review and approval, which identifies excessive
infiltration and inflow, recommends actions to address excessive infiltration
and inflow sources, and a schedule for such actions.
3.Where the sewer system authority has
completed the plans identified in 314 CMR
12.04(2)(c)1. and 2. and is in the
process of implementing the recommended actions identified in the Sewer System
Evaluation Survey, those plans, along with an update as to what recommendations
have been completed, and what remains to be completed, including a schedule for
completion, may be submitted on or before December 31, 2017 to the Department
for review and approval in lieu the requirements of 314 CMR
12.04(2)(c)1. and
2.
4.The plans identified in 314
CMR
12.04(2)(c)1., 2., and 3. will be presumed approved if the Department does
not issue a written approval, conditional approval, denial or request for
further information within 120 days after submittal. The submittal and issuance
dates are the dates that the plans, the Department's approval, conditional
approval, denial or information request are postmarked. The Department may
require modification of a presumptively approved submission as needed to
address violations of any applicable law, regulation or permit.
(d) For those sewer system
authorities with NPDES discharge permits for combined sewer overflows, and for
all sewer systems tributary to such sewer systems, and for other sewer systems
which the Department specifically determines are at risk of wet weather
sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs), the infiltration and inflow plan shall also
include a program to address impacts from new sewer connections and extensions
to the sewer system. All sewer system authorities shall include provisions in
their I/I plan for mitigating impacts from any new connections or extensions
where proposed flows exceed 15,000 gallons per day. Such mitigation shall
require that four gallons of infiltration and/or inflow be removed for each
gallon of new flow to be generated by the new sewer connection or extension,
unless otherwise approved by the Department. The sewer system authority or the
Department may require a higher removal rate per gallon of new flow in
sensitive areas such as where overflows have the potential to impact drinking
water supplies or nitrogen sensitive areas.
(3) All wastewater treatment facilities shall
be provided with adequate operating personnel to ensure proper operation and
the required degree of treatment at all times.
(4) In order to assure proper operation and
maintenance, the Department may determine and require a minimum number of
shifts and personnel per shift for any wastewater treatment facility
considering the size, complexity and safety requirements of the particular
facility. Any person operating wastewater treatment facilities shall prepare
and submit to the Department a staffing plan for review and approval. The
Department may utilize the Northeast Guide For Estimating Staffing at Publicly
and Privately Owned Wastewater Treatment Plants, prepared by New England
Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and dated November 2008, along
with any other relevant information, as a guide for determining the appropriate
staffing level a wastewater treatment facilities with a design flow of 0.25
million gallons per day or higher. The plan will be presumed approved if the
Department does not issue a written approval, conditional approval, denial or
request for further information within 90 days after submittal. The submittal
and issuance dates are the dates that the manual and the Department's approval,
conditional approval, denial or information request are postmarked. The plan
shall be implemented as approved. Said staffing plan shall contain a
description of the number, certifications, and qualifications of personnel
needed to ensure proper and continuous operation of the facility, and shall
address the following items:
(a) Number of
operational days per week;
(b)
Number of operational hours per week;
(c) Number of shifts per day;
(d) Required personnel per shift;
(e) Saturday, Sunday and Holiday staff
coverage; and
(f) Emergency
operating personnel.
The staffing plan shall be updated every two years. If the
owner of the wastewater treatment facility intends to contract for operation of
the facility, such owner remains ultimately responsible for the proper
operation and maintenance of the facility. The proposed contract and a list of
all other facilities, including the names of all certified and non certified
personnel employed at each wastewater treatment facility for which the proposed
contract operator is responsible, shall be submitted to the Department prior to
execution of the contract for review and approval. The contract shall be deemed
approved if the Department does not issue a written approval, conditional
approval, denial or request for further information within 90 days after
submittal of the contract and list. The submittal and issuance dates are the
dates that the contract and list, and the Department's approval, conditional
approval, denial or information request are postmarked.
(5) Any person operating a sewer
system which includes pump stations shall provide for routine inspection of the
pump station facilities to ensure safe and proper operation of the pump
station. These measures shall include, at a minimum:
(a) daily inspections of all pump stations
which are designed to pump peak flows of 100,000 gallons per day or
greater;
(b) weekly inspections of
all pump stations which are designed to pump peak flows of less than 100,000
gallons per day, and
(c) An
inspection log book or electronic record shall be maintained by the operator,
and shall include, at a minimum, the date of inspection, the operational
condition of the station, the need for any preventive maintenance or repairs,
and the dates and description of such preventive maintenance and repairs.
Less frequent inspections may be allowed by the Department only
if the pump station is equipped with a SCADA system that provides real-time
information on the status of the station to the system operator and if such an
alternative inspection schedule is proposed by the sewer system operator and
approved by the Department in writing.
(6) All pumping, ejector or lift stations
shall be provided with an adequate and operational alarm system that will
transmit a warning of a malfunction at the station to a manned facility.
Operational alarm systems shall be tested at least twice annually.
(7) All pumping, ejector or lift stations
shall be provided with an independent engine/ generator type source of electric
power or an alternate source of power completely separate and apart from that
supplied by the electric utility for emergency operations. This source shall be
automatically activated by failure of any phase of the power supply or upon any
fluctuation in voltage, the amount or duration of which would cause damage to
the motors. As an alternative for small pumping ejector or lift stations which
are not located adjacent to drinking water supplies, storage (including system
storage) equal to the maximum daily amount of wastewater (including
infiltration and inflow) which can be expected may be provided, or a portable
standby generator may be used, or a portable engine driven pump which can be
readily connected to the force main may be supplied. Electric generators and
engine driven pumps shall be tested at least twice annually.
(8) Any person operating a treatment works
shall control the discharge of septage so that its entry into the wastewater
treatment facility will not interfere with the proper operation and maintenance
of the facility, degrade the effluent or violate the current Massachusetts
Water Quality Standards.
(9) Any
person operating treatment works shall maintain them in a manner that will
ensure proper operation of the works, or any part thereof.
(10) Any person operating treatment works
shall establish and implement a preventive maintenance program to assure the
efficient operation of all facilities and equipment.
(11) Any person operating a treatment works
shall provide sufficient and adequate tools, equipment, spare parts and
supplies to maintain and operate all appurtenances of the works on a continuing
basis.
(12) A reserve supply of all
parts and supplies having a high replacement rate shall be on hand at all
times.
(13) All standby and other
equipment shall be maintained in operable condition.
(14) All tidegates and flap valves shall be
maintained in operable condition.
(15) The Department may require modification
of a presumptively approved submission as needed to address a violation of any
applicable law, regulation or permit.