FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF JUNE 7, 2022
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: City Council
FROM: City Manager
Prepared by Director of Utilities
SUBJECT: PRESENTATION REGARDING ENROLLMENT IN THE GENERAL PERMIT (WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS ORDER NO.
R3-2020-0020) FOR THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council receive a presentation about new requirements for the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
SUMMARY:
The City of Santa Maria ("City") is currently permitted by Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board ("Water Board") Order No. R3-2010-0001 for individual waste discharge requirements for discharges of domestic wastewater to land from the City Wastewater Treatment Plant ("WWTP") (the "Individual Permit") (Attachment "A"). On September 25, 2020, the Water Board adopted General Waste Discharge Requirements Order No. R3-2020-0020 for Discharges from Domestic Wastewater Systems with Flows Greater than 100,000 Gallons per Day (the "General Permit") (Attachment "B"). The City has been notified it is required to enroll under the General Permit.
BACKGROUND:
Wastewater Treatment Plant
The City owns and operates a municipal wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal system. This system collects wastewater from commercial, industrial, and residential customers throughout the City, the Santa Maria Airport District, and part of the Laguna County Sanitation District. The collected wastewater, along with flows from the onsite septage receiving station are accepted and treated at the WWTP. The WWTP uses trickling filters as the principal process to treat an average of 7.0 million gallons per day.
The City's wastewater treatment processes include headworks, grit removal, primary clarifiers, primary trickling filters, intermediate clarifier, secondary trickling filters, secondary clarifiers, gravity sludge thickeners, anaerobic digesters, and sludge drying beds.
The WWTP uses a biological process for treatment. The bacteria at the WWTP converts sewer flows into a stable product that is reintroduced to the environment. After treatment, treated wastewater is discharged to more than 100 acres of percolation ponds at the WWTP. The water slowly percolates into the groundwater using the earth as a natural
filter, providing additional treatment of the water before it reaches groundwater.
Remaining solids from this biological treatment process are used to produce compost.
Treatment Plant Permits
The Water Board oversees approximately 800 different facilities that discharge to land.
Approximately 40 of those facilities are regulated by individual permits and have flows greater than 100,000 gallons per day, including the City's WWTP. The City's WWTP operates under its Individual Permit and as such is regulated by individual Waste Discharge Requirements from the Water Board under Order No. R3-2010-0001.
On September 25, 2020, the Water Board adopted the General Permit. The intent of the General Permit is to regulate higher flow domestic wastewater discharges and to update the waste discharge requirements for those 40+ facilities in the central coast region, while decreasing the number of individual permits requiring development and updating.
The Water Board determined the City's discharges are more appropriately regulated pursuant to the General Permit rather than the City's current Individual Permit and issued a letter to the City on November 5, 2021, directing the City to enroll in the General Permit for the WWTP. Enrollment requires the City file a notice of intent (i.e., an application, also referred to as a report of waste discharge) with the Water Board. Enrollment will have significant ramifications for the City and its ratepayers.
DISCUSSION:
On January 25, 2022, the City sent a formal request to the Water Board requesting the City's application deadline be extended to August 5, 2022, to: (1) meaningfully inform the City Council of the important, long-term infrastructure investment that enrollment in the General Permit will ultimately require, and (2) submit a complete, technically supported application to the Water Board for consideration.
On February 24, 2022, the Water Board granted the City's extension request to August 5, 2022 (Attachment "C"), provided the City met specific milestones. Those milestones and status are summarized below:
Item
Status
1. Provide to the Water Board a copy of the agreement between the City and a qualified environmental consultant by mid -February 2022.
Complete
2. Inform the Water Board of the date the City Council meeting will hear a presentation on the proposed General Order enrollment, anticipated for June 2022.
Complete
3. Inform the Water Board of the date the City Council will authorize signing and submission of the notice of intent prior to August 5, 2022.
Pending
2 Compliance with the General Permit has many components. To manage this significant, long-term project, the City has contracted with Geosyntec Consultants to provide technical and professional services. They will work closely with City staff to develop a complete notice of intent package for submission to the Water Board. In addition, Geosyntec Consultants will develop conceptual alternatives to the current treatment stream to meet the General Order effluent limits.
The overall project will also necessitate the development of a Request for Proposals ("RFP") for qualified firms for programmatic support. This will include an updated Wastewater Master Plan, with an evaluation of existing operations, treatment alternatives, and feasibility studies; establish a time schedule to achieve compliance; and develop cash flow and funding scenarios. Ultimately, that work will then inform another RFP for qualified firms to develop and design modifications to the WWTP. Finally, a construction project will be bid and constructed to adapt the WWTP to treat wastewater to the standards required in the General Permit.
The General Permit allows for meeting the new requirements over time. For the first 24 months after enrollment, it is anticipated the City may continue to comply with the discharge limitations contained in its current individual permit. If the City needs more than 24 months, the General Permit allows time for the City to develop and implement a Time Schedule Compliance Plan to revise its operations and/or upgrade the wastewater system as necessary. It is expected that the City will need to request a Time Schedule Compliance Plan from the Water Board.
City staff will work closely with Water Board staff to minimize or avoid violations while working toward compliance with the General Permit. City staff will return to the City Council with updates and action items on the various approvals along the pathway to compliance. In the near term, this is anticipated to return to the City Council prior to the August 5 extension granted by the Water Board to seek authorization to submit the notice of intent to comply with the General Permit.
Once the Water Board accepts the City's application, the Water Board will issue a notice of applicability. Issuance of the notice of applicability authorizes coverage and enrollment of the City's WWTP in the General Permit and terminates the existing Individual Permit.
Fiscal Consideration
Because the full scope of the modifications to the WWTP are not known at this time, it is not possible to estimate the costs to achieve compliance. Projects to update and modify treatment at other treatment plants throughout the region have had costs more than $100 million; however, the projects had different requirements and were generally smaller in size. As the new Wastewater Master Plan is developed and the necessary improvements for compliance are identified, a better understanding of overall costs will be achieved, as well as strategies for funding those costs. Costs associated with this undertaking will be borne by the Wastewater Enterprise Fund.
3 City staff has met with Water Board and State Water Resources Control Board staff to identify State funding and grants that may be available to assist the City with costs associated with this program. City staff will continue to work with various agencies to explore all funding opportunities for the project.
JO Rudy
MICHELLE RUIZ
Management Analyst
Director of Utilities
ER, P.E., MPA
Attachments
Attachment "A" Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Order No. R3-2010-0001 Attachment "B" General Waste Discharge Requirements Order No. R3-2020-0020 for Discharges from Domestic Wastewater Systems with Flows Greater than 100,000 Gallons per Day Attachment "C" Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Letter dated 02/24/2022 4 CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD
CENTRAL COAST REGION
895 Aerovista Place, Suite 101
San Luis Obispo, California 93401-7906
WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS
ORDER NO. R3-2010-0001
Waste Discharger Identification No. 3 420109001
FOR THE
CITY OF SANTA MARIA WASTEWATER FACILITY
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
The Califomia Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region (hereafter Central Coast Water Board), finds that:
PURPOSE OF ORDER
1. On August 13, 2007, the City of Santa Maria (hereafter Discharger) filed a Report of Waste Discharge in accordance with Section 13260 of the California Water Code. The submittal was augmented with additional information on August 26, 2008, April 1, 2009, and July 14, 2009.
The report was filed seeking authorization to continue to discharge treated municipal wastewater within the Upper Guadalupe sub -area of the Santa Maria groundwater basin.
2. This Order updates and revises Order No. R3-2002-0111 adopted by the Central Coast Water Board on December 13, 2002. Revisions are intended to reflect the current treatment and disposal practices, provide for an upgraded and expanded facility currently under construction, protect the beneficial uses of the receiving water, and revise the Monitoring and Reporting Program.
SITE OWNER AND LOCATION
3. The Discharger owns and operates a municipal wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal system, located at 601 Black Road, in Section 18, T1ON, R34W, SB B&M (34°57'00" N. latitude, 120°30'00" W. longitude), as shown on Attachment A of this Order.
SITE/FACILITY DESCRIPTION
4. Service Area - The Discharger is responsible for wastewater collection and transport facilities for the City of Santa Maria, Santa Maria Airport District, and part of the Laguna County Sanitation District. Laguna County Sanitation District owns and retains responsibility for collection and transport facilities up to the point of discharge into interceptors owned and operated by the Discharger. It is up to this local sewering entity to protect the environment to the greatest extent possible and to ensure its collection system, as well as the receiving sewerage system, is protected and utilized properly. This responsibility includes preventing overflows and may include restricting or prohibiting the volume, type, or concentration of wastes that could be added to the system, in accordance with pretreatment program and/or sewer connection permits. Septage is hauled to the facility for treatment and disposal.
ATTACHMENT "A"
Order No. R3-2010-0001 2 February 4, 2010
5. Existing Treatment - The existing treatment facility is designed to treat 9.5 million gallons per day (MGD), including up to 65,000 gallons per day of hauled septage. The wastewater treatment processes include headworks, grit removal, primary clarifier, trickling filter, intermediate clarifier, secondary trickling filters, secondary clarifiers, gravity sludge thickeners, anaerobic digesters, and sludge drying beds.
6. Expanded Treatment - Construction of an expanded treatment facility is currently underway. The expanded facility (anticipated to be completed by 2010) is designed to treat
13.5 MGD with wastewater treatment processes including headworks (comminutor and flow meter), grit removal, primary clarifiers, trickling filters, intermediate clarifier, secondary trickling filters, secondary clarifiers, gravity sludge thickeners, anaerobic digesters, and sludge drying beds. The expanded treatment facilities, including current and future disposal areas are depicted on Attachments B and C of this Order.
7. Disposal - The treated wastewater is disposed of to 17 percolation ponds covering approximately 120 acres. The percolation ponds are operated in fill, dry, and rest cycles to enhance nitrogen removal. Expansion of the disposal facilities will include an additional 150 acres of percolation ponds phased in over the next 15 to 20 years.
8. Solids Handling - Solids removed during the treatment processes are anaerobically digested, dried, and disposed of at a composting facility or used at the Santa Maria landfill for soil amendment in the vegetative cover portion of the final cover system.
9. Geology and Soils - The vicinity of the discharge is characterized by a broad alluvial plain near the ocean that tapers gradually inland. The alluvial plain is further defined by upland or mesa areas, foothills and mountain complexes. The disposal ponds are located on level ground underlain by loamy sands, silty sands and clay layers.
10. Surface Water - The Santa Maria River flows in a westerly direction approximately two miles north of the treatment and disposal facility. There is no surface discharge from the treatment facility to the Santa Maria River.
11. Groundwater - The Santa Maria groundwater basin lies in a coastal valley in westem Santa Barbara County and includes the extreme southwestern part of San Luis Obispo County.
Groundwater is approximately 40 to 50 feet below ground surface in the vicinity of the . discharge location. Coarse -grained alluvial deposits exist along the river and grade to finer silts and clays as distance from the river channel increases. According to monitoring data provided by the Discharger, the underlying groundwater includes the following general mineral characteristics (all data in mg/L):
Location
TDS
Sodium
Chloride
Sulfate
Nitrate -N
Boron
5H (background)
1160
74 47
430
13 0.24 .
UMW #1
897
170
174
160
0.17 0.42
DMW #2
1070
160
164
220
14 0.48
DMW #3
986
160
165
220
2.9 0.48
Order No. R3.2010-0001 3 February 4, 2010
BASIN PLAN
12. The Regional Water Board has adopted the Water Quality Control Plan, Central Coast Basin (the Basin Plan) that designates beneficial uses, establishes water quality objectives, and contains implementation programs and policies to achieve those objectives for receiving waters within the Region.
13. Present and anticipated beneficial uses of groundwater in the vicinity of Santa Maria include municipal, domestic, agricultural and industrial supply.
14. The Basin Plan establishes certain water quality objectives for selected groundwaters in the vicinity of the discharge. These objectives are intended to serve as a water quality baseline for evaluating water quality management in the basin. The median groundwater quality objectives for the Upper Guadalupe Sub -Area are as follows (Basis for objectives is in the 'Water Quality Objectives for the Santa Maria Ground Water Basin Revised Staff Report, May 1985" and February 1986, Staff Report):
Constituent
Concentration (mg/L)''2
Note
TDS
1000
This is a maximum objective in accordance with
Title 22 of the Code of Regulations
Sodium
230
Chloride
165
Sulfate
500
This is a maximum objective in accordance with
Title 22 of the Code of Regulations
Nitrogen (as N)
1.4 Boron
0.5 Table 3-8 of the Basin Plan.
2 Objectives are shown as median values based on data averages.
15. Total maximum daily load (TMDL) allocations will be developed for impaired surface waters in the Central Coast Region. TMDL documents will allocate responsibility for constituent loading throughout the watershed. If TMDLs determine constituent contributions from waste discharged may adversely impact beneficial uses or exceed narrative or numeric water quality objectives, changes in these waste discharge requirements may be required. Waste discharge requirements may be modified to implement applicable TMDL provisions and recommendations. TMDL listings for the Santa Maria River include fecal coliform, E. coli., toxicity, pesticides, sodium, chloride, unionized ammonia, and nutrients. Water Board staff is currently developing Santa Maria River TMDLs.
MONITORING PROGRAM
16. Monitoring and Reporting Program (MRP) No. R3-2010-0001 is part of this Order. The MRP requires routine influent, effluent, and receiving water (groundwater) sampling to verify compliance with this Order. Biosolids (sludge) monitoring is also required. The MRP requires submittal of monthly self -monitoring reports, and an annual summary report submitted by January 30th of each year.
Order No. R3-2010-0001 4 February 4, 2010
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
17. In 2006, the Discharger certified an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) addressing the wastewater treatment plant upgrade project. An addendum to the Final EIR was certified in 2009 to address expansion up to 13.5 million gallons per day (MGD) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Public Resources Code, Section 21000, et seq.) and the California Code of Regulations. The Discharger is the lead agency for purposes of CEQA. The Final EIR and addendum identified mitigation measures to address environmental impacts that may result from the treatment facility expansion. Water quality impacts are not expected to result from the project and no water quality mitigation measures were identified. The Water Board is the responsible agency for purposes of CEQA. As a responsible agency, the Water Board complies with CEQA by considering the CEQA documents that have been prepared by the lead agency and determining that those documents were adequate for its purposes. CEQA Guidelines section 15096(g) requires the Regional Water Board as a responsible agency, when considering alternatives and mitigation measures, to mitigate or avoid only the direct or indirect environmental effects of those parts of the project which it decides to approve.
CEQA Guidelines section 15096(h) requires the responsible agency to make findings set forth in section 15091 for each significant effect of the project. The EIR did not identify any significant direct or indirect water quality impacts.
ANTIDEGRADATION
18. State Water Board Resolution No. 68-16 (Statement of Policy with Respect to Maintaining High Quality of Waters in California) requires Regional Water Boards, in regulating the discharge of waste, to maintain high quality waters of the State unless it is demonstrated that any change in quality will be consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the State, will not unreasonably affect beneficial uses, and will not result in water quality less than that described in a Regional Water Board's policies (i.e., quality that exceeds applicable water quality standards). Resolution No. 68-16 also states, in part:
Any activity which produces or may produce a waste or increased volume or concentration of waste and which discharges or proposes to discharge to existing high quality waters will be required to meet waste discharge requirements which will result in best practicable treatment and control of the discharge necessary to assure that (a) a pollution or nuisance will not occur and (b) the highest water quality consistent with maximum benefit to the people of the State will be maintained.
The discharge regulated by this Order is subject to waste discharge requirements that will result in treatment, control, prevention of pollution and nuisance, and maintenance of water quality consistent with maximum benefit to the people of the State. As such, these waste discharge requirements are consistent with the provisions of Resolution No. 68-16.
RECYCLED WATER POLICY
19. The Strategic Plan Update 2008-2012 for the Water Boards includes a priority to increase sustainable local water supplies available for meeting existing and future beneficial uses by
Order No. R3-2010-0001 5 February 4, 2010
1,725,000 acre-feet per year, in excess of 2002 levels, by 2015, and ensure adequate water flows for fish and wildlife habitat. The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) adopted the Recycled Water Policy (Resolution No. 2009-0011) on February 3, 2009. The Recycled Water Policy is intended to support the Strategic Plan priority to Promote Sustainable Local Water Supplies. Increasing.the acceptance and promoting the use of recycled water is a means towards achieving sustainable local water supplies and can result in reduction in greenhouse gases, a significant driver of climate change. The Recycled Water Policy is also intended to encourage beneficial use of, rather than solely disposal of, recycled water.
20. The Recycled Water Policy calls for the development of regional groundwater basin/sub- basin salt/nutrient management plans. The State Water Board recognizes that, pursuant to the letter from statewide water and wastewater entities dated December 19, 2008, and attached to Resolution No. 2009-0011 adopting the Policy, the local water and wastewater entities, together with local salt/nutrient contributing stakeholders, will fund locally driven and controlled, collaborative processes open to all stakeholders that will prepare salt and nutrient management plans for each basin/sub-basin in Califomia, including compliance with CEQA and participation by Regional Water Board staff.
21. It is the intent of the Recycled Water Policy that salts and nutrients from all sources be managed on a basin -wide or watershed -wide basis in a manner that ensures attainment of water quality objectives and protection of beneficial uses. The State Water Board finds that the appropriate way to address salt and nutrient issues is through the development of regional or sub -regional salt and nutrient management plans rather than through imposing requirements solely on individual projects. The Central Coast Water Board finds that a combination of regional management plans and individual or programmatic project requirements may be necessary to protect beneficial uses.
22. One of the primary components of the required regional salt/nutrient management plans is the development and implementation of groundwater basin/sub-basin monitoring programs.
As specified in the Recycled Water Policy, salt/nutrient contributing stakeholders will be responsible for conducting, compiling, and reporting the monitoring data once the regional groundwater monitoring programs are developed.
23. A large number of technical reports and data contained within Central Coast Water Board files document widespread and increasing salt and nutrient impacts within the groundwater basins throughout the Central Coast Region, including the Santa Maria groundwater basin and sub -basins.
GENERAL FINDINGS
24. The Discharger enrolled in the Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer Systems, Order No. 2006-0003-DWQ (General Sewer System Order) in 2007. The General Sewer System Order, at a minimum, requires the Discharger to develop and implement a Sanitary Sewer Management Plan (SSMP) by May 2, 2012. The Discharger, when developing the SSMP, is required to include organization goals, organization structure, legal authority, measures and activities, design and performance provisions; monitoring, measurement and plan modifications; overflow emergency response
Order No. R3-2010-0001 6 February 4, 2010
plan, source control program, system evaluation and capacity assurance plan, and annual updates. The General Sewer System Order also requires the Discharger to report sanitary sewer spills using the web -based Sanitary Sewer Overflow Database.
25. Stormwater - Federal Regulations for stormwater discharges were promulgated by the U.S.
EPA on November 19, 1990. The regulations [40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 122, 123, and 124] require specific categories of industrial activities including Publicly Owned Treatment Works (municipal wastewater treatment facilities) with capacity in excess of one million gallons per day, which discharge stormwater to obtain an NPDES permit and to implement Best Available Technology Economically Achievable (BAT) and Best Conventional Pollutant Control Technology (BCT) to control pollutants in industrial stormwater discharges.
26. Stormwater flows from the wastewater treatment facility process areas are directed to the head works and commingled with wastewater thus becoming wastewater. These blended flows are treated through the facility, therefore no industrial stormwater is discharged and separate permitting is not needed.
27. This Order contains restrictions on individual pollutants. The effluent limitations for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) are based on achievable limits for secondary treatment as demonstrated by historical facility effluent data.
Effluent limitations in this Order for total dissolved solids, sodium and chloride have been scientifically derived to implement water quality objectives that protect beneficial uses. Both the beneficial uses and the water quality objectives have been approved pursuant to state law. All beneficial uses and water quality objectives contained in the Basin Plan were approved under state law and submitted to and approved by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prior to May 30, 2000. The requirements of this Order take into consideration past, present, and probable future beneficial uses of the receiving waters, the environmental characteristics, including water quality of the Santa Maria River hydrographic unit, and coordinated control of all factors which affect water quality in the area.
28. Discharge of waste is a privilege, not a right, and authorization to discharge is conditional upon the discharge complying with provisions of Division 7 of the California Water Code and any more stringent effluent limitations necessary to implement water quality control plans, to protect beneficial uses, and to prevent nuisance. Compliance with this Order should ensure this and mitigate any potential adverse changes in water quality due to the discharge.
29. On November 5, 2009, the Central Coast Water Board notified the Discharger and interested agencies and persons of its intent to revise waste discharge requirements for the discharge and has provided them with a copy of the proposed Order and an opportunity to submit written views and comments. Comments on the draft Order were to be submitted in writing no later than December 10, 2009.
30. After considering all comments pertaining to this discharge during a public hearing on February 4, 2010, this Order was found consistent with the above findings.
Order No. R3-2010-0001 7 February 4, 2010
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, pursuant to authority in Section 13263 of the Califomia Water Code, that the City of Santa Maria, its agents, successors, and assigns, may discharge waste from its wastewater treatment plant provided it complies with the following requirements.
All technical and monitoring reports submitted pursuant to this Order are required pursuant to Section 13267 of the California Water Code. The Central Coast Water Board requires these reports to determine compliance with this Order and the impacts, if any, of the discharge on receiving waters. Failure to submit reports in accordance with schedules established by this Order, or failure to submit a report of sufficient technical quality to be acceptable to the Executive Officer, may subject the Discharger to enforcement action pursuant to Section 13268 of the California Water Code.
Other prohibitions and conditions, definitions and the method of determining compliance are contained in "Standard Provisions and Reporting Requirements for Waste Discharge Requirements" dated January 1984 and incorporated as part of this Order.
Note: Throughout this Order, footnotes are listed to indicate the source of requirements specified. Requirement footnotes are as follows:
WC = Water Code
BP = Basin Plan
CFR = 40 CFR 403 (federal pretreatment requirements)
Requirements without footnotes are based on staff's professional judgment.
A. PROHIBITIONS
1. Discharge to areas other than the disposal ponds shown in Attachment A is prohibited.we
2. Discharge of any wastes, including overflow, bypass, seepage, overspray and runoff from transport, treatment, or disposal systems, to adjacent properties, adjacent drainage ways, or to drainage ways tributary to the Santa Maria River is prohibited we
3. Bypass of the treatment facility is prohibited and discharge of improperly treated wastewater directly to the disposal ponds is prohibited.wc
4. Discharge of wastes within 150 feet of any well used for domestic supply or irrigation of food crops is prohibited.T22
B. DISCHARGE SPECIFICATIONS
1. Daily flow averaged over each month shall not exceed 9.5 MGD, until completion of expanded wastewater treatment facilities. After expansion of the treatment and disposal facilities, daily flow averaged over each month shall not exceed 13.5 MGD.
Order No. R3-2010-0001
8 February 4, 2010
2. Effluent discharged to disposal ponds shall not exceed the following limitations:
Constituent.
Units
Monthly Average
Daily Maximum
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (5 -day)
mg/L
60 100
Total Suspended Solids
mq/L
60 100
Settleable Solids
ml/L
0.1 0.4
Total Dissolved Solids'
mg/L
1,000
—
Sodium'
mg/L
180
—
Chloride'
mg/L
180
—
pH
within the range 6.5 to 8.4""
Compliance shall be based on a three-year running mean.
3. Freeboard shall equal or exceed two feet in all ponds, unless the ponds are specifically designed for a different freeboard.
4. The treatment, storage, and disposal facilities shall be managed to exclude the public and posted to warn the public of the presence of wastewater.
C. RECEIVING WATER (GROUNDWATER) LIMITATIONS
(Receiving water quality is a result of many factors, some unrelated to the discharge. This Order considers these factors and is designed to minimize the influence of the discharge to receiving waters.)
1. The discharge shall not cause groundwater to contain taste or odor producing substance in concentrations that adversely affect beneficial uses. BP
2. The discharge shall not cause radionuclides to be present in concentrations that are deleterious to human, plant, animal, or aquatic life; or results in the accumulation or radionuclides in the food web to an extent which presents a hazard to human, plant, animal, or aquatic life. BP
3. The discharge shall not cause groundwater to contain concentrations of organic or inorganic chemicals in excess of the limiting concentrations set forth in California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 4, Chapter 15, Article 5.5, Section 64444 (organic) and Article 4, Section 64431 (inorganic). BP
4. The discharge shall not cause groundwater to contain concentrations of chemical constituents in amounts that adversely affect the agricultural supply beneficial use.
Interpretation of adverse effects shall be as described in University of California Agricultural Extension Service guidelines provided in Table 3-3 of the Central Coast Basin Plan. BP
5. The discharge shall not cause a significant increase in mineral constituent concentrations in the underlying groundwater, as determined by comparison of samples collected from wells located upgradient and downgradient of the disposal area.B'
Order No. R3-2010-0001 9 February 4, 2010
6. The discharge shall not cause underlying groundwater to contain concentrations of constituents in excess of water quality objectives listed in Finding No. 14.
D. SALT & NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
1. The Discharger shall maintain an ongoing salt/nutrient management program with the intent of reducing mass loading of salts and nutrients (with an emphasis on nitrogen species) in treated effluent to a level that will ensure compliance with effluent limitations and protect beneficial uses of groundwater.
2. Salt reduction measures shall focus on all potential salt contributors to the collection system, including water supply, commercial, industrial and residential dischargers. The salt/nutrient management program shall also address the concentration of salts in the wastewater treatment process as a result of excessive hydraulic retention times and/or chemical addition.
3. Nutrient reduction measures shall focus on optimizing wastewater treatment processes for nitrification and denitrification, or other means of nitrogen removal. Reduction measures may also include source control (non -human waste from commercial and industrial sources) as appropriate.
4. As part of the salt/nutrient management program, the Discharger shall submit an annual report of salt and nutrient reduction efforts. This salt/nutrient management report shall be included as part of the annual report described in Monitoring and Reporting Program No.
R3-2010-0001. The report shall be submitted by January 30th, and shall include (at a minimum):
Salt Component
a. Calculations of annual salt mass discharged to (influent) and from (effluent) the wastewater treatment or recycling facility with a description of contributing sources; b. Analysis of wastewater evaporation/salt concentration effects; c. Analysis of groundwater monitoring results for salts constituents and associated trends; d. Analysis of potential impacts of salt loading on the groundwater basin (focusing on the relationship between salt concentration in the discharge and the Basin Plan water quality objectives);
e. A summary of existing salt reduction measures; and,
f. Recommendations and time schedules for implementation of any additional salt reduction measures.
Nutrient Component
a. Calculations of annual nitrogen mass (for all identified species) discharged to (influent) and from (effluent) the wastewater treatment or recycling facility with a description of contributing sources;
Order No. R3-2010-0001 10 February 4, 2010
b. Analysis of wastewater treatment facility ability to facilitate nitrification and denitrification, or other means of nitrogen removal;
c. Analysis of groundwater monitoring results for nitrogen constituents and trends; d. Analysis of potential impacts of nitrogen loading on the groundwater basin (focusing on the relationship between salt concentration in the discharge and the Basin Plan water quality objectives);
e. A summary of existing nitrogen loading reduction measures; and, f. Recommendations and time schedules for implementation of any additional nitrogen loading reduction measures.
5. As an alternative to the salt/nutrient management program requirements described above, upon Executive Officer approval, the Discharger may submit documentation and summary of participation in a regional salt/nutrient management plan implemented under the provisions of State Water Board Resolution No. 2009-0011 (Recycled Water Policy).
E. PRETREATMENT SPECIFICATIONS
1. The discharger shall be responsible for performance of pretreatment requirements contained in 40 CFR 403 and shall be subject to enforcement actions, penalties, fines and other remedies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or other appropriate parties, as provided in the Clean Water Act, as amended (33 USC 1251 et seq.) (hereafter Act). The Discharger shall implement and enforce its approved Pretreatment Program. The Discharger's approved Pretreatment Program is hereby made an enforceable condition of this Order. EPA or the Water Board may initiate enforcement action against an industrial user for noncompliance with applicable standardsand requirements as provided in the ActcFR
2. The Discharger shall enforce the requirements promulgated under Section 307(b), 307(c), 307(d), and 402(b) of the Act. The Discharger shall cause industrial users subject to Federal Categorical Standards to achieve compliance no later than the date specified in those requirements or, in the case of a new industrial user, upon commencement of its discharge.crR
3. The Discharger shall perform the pretreatment functions as required in 40 CFR 403.8(0, including but not limited to:
a. Implement the necessary legal authorities as provided in 40 CFR 403.8(0(1); b. Enforce the pretreatment requirements under 40 CFR 403.5 and 403.6; c. Implement the programmatic functions as provided in 40 CFR 403.8(f)(2); and, d. Provide the requisite funding and personnel to implement the pretreatment program as provided in 403.8(0(3) CFR
Order No. R3-2010-0001 11 February 4, 2010
F. BIOSOLIDS SPECIFICATIONS
Biosolids refers to non -hazardous sewage sludge as defined in 40 CFR 503.9. Sewage sludge that is hazardous (as defined in 40 CFR 261) must be disposed in accordance with requirements of the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA). Sludge with PCB levels in excess of 50 mg/kg must be disposed in accordance with 40 CFR 761.
1. All biosolids generated by the Discharger shall be used or disposed in compliance with the applicable portions of the following regulations.
a. 40 CFR 503 - for biosolids that are land applied, placed in surface disposal sites (dedicated land disposal sites or monofills), or incinerated. b. 40 CFR 258 - for biosolids disposed in municipal solid waste landfills. c. 40 CFR 257 - for all biosolids use and disposal practices not covered under 40 CFR 258 or 503).
40 CFR 503 Subpart B (land application) applies to biosolids applied for the purpose of enhancing plant growth or for land reclamation. Section 503 Subpart C (surface disposal) applies to biosolids placed on the land for the purpose of disposal.
The Discharger is responsible for ensuring that all biosolids produced at its facility are used or disposed of in accordance with these rules, whether the discharger uses or disposes of the biosolids itself or transfers them to another party for further treatment, use, or disposal.
G. PROVISIONS
1. Order No. R3-2002-0111, Waste Discharge Requirements for City of Santa Maria, adopted by the Central Coast Water Board on December 13, 2002, is hereby rescinded, except for enforcement purposes.
2. Discharger shall comply with Monitoring and' Reporting Program No. R3-2010-0001, as specified by the Executive Officer.
3. Discharger shall comply with all items of attached "Standard Provisions and Reporting Requirements for Waste Discharge Requirements" dated January, 1984.
4. This Order may be reopened to address any changes in State or Federal plans, policies, or regulations that would affect requirements for the discharge.
5. The Discharger shall maintain a comprehensive operation and maintenance manual for the wastewater treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. The Discharger shall also develop, update as needed, and maintain as part of its operations and maintenance manual; a mercury handling plan. The mercury handling plan shall (at a minimum) address inventory, inspection, monitoring, incident response, worker safety and training.
Order No. R3-2010-0001 12 February 4, 2010
6. Pursuant to California Code of Regulations Title 23, Chapter 3, Subchapter 9, the Discharger shall submit a Report of Waste Discharge to the Executive Officer not later than June 11, 2014, addressing: a) Whether there will be changes in the continuity, character, location or volume of the discharge; and, b) Whether, in their opinion, there is any portion of the Order that is incorrect, obsolete or otherwise in need or revision. 1, Roger W. Briggs, Executive Officer, do hereby certify the foregoing is a full, true, and correct copy of an order adopted by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region, on February 4, 2010.
ORDERED Bx: G
oger W. Brig s, Executive Officer
ist b 20 1
Date
S:\WDR\WDR FacilitieslSanta Barbara Co\Santa Maria WWTP\current WDR\2010-0001 final wdr.doc
CENTRAL COAST REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD
Water .Boards
Protecting California's Water
895 Aerovista Place, Suite 101
San Luis Obispo, California 93401
GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS
ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FOR
DISCHARGES FROM DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
WITH FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GALLONS PER DAY
CALIFOR\IA
Water Boards
STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD
REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARDS
ATTACHMENT "B"
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
2 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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Contents
GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020 FOR
DISCHARGES FROM DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS WITH FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GALLONS PER DAY 1
I. List of Frequently Used Acronyms and Abbreviations 5 I I . Findings 5
A. Background Information 5
B. Treated Wastewater Disposal 8
C. Recycled Water 9
D. Pretreatment Program for Publicly Owned Treatment Works 10 E. Antidegradation Analysis 10
F. Title 27 Exemption 12
G. California Environmental Quality Act 12
H. Monitoring and Reporting Program 13
I. Other Regulatory Requirements and Considerations 14
J. Public Participation 17
K. Application Process (Applicable to New and Existing Wastewater Systems) 18 III. Prohibitions 18
IV. Specifications 20
A. All Wastewater Systems 20
B. Pond Systems (Treatment, Storage, and Disposal) 24
C. Land Application by Spray or Drip Methods 26
D. Land Application by Controlled Flood Methods 27
E. Sludge/Solids/Biosolids Disposal 28
F. Pretreatment Specifications 28
V. Limitations 29
A. Effluent Limitations 29
B. Organic Loading Limitations 35
C. Groundwater Limitations 35
VI. Provisions 35
A. Technical Report Requirements 35
B. General Provisions for All Wastewater Systems: 37
C. General Reporting Requirements. 39
D. Monitoring Requirements 40
VII. Enforcement 40
A. Violations 41
B. Technical and Monitoring Reports 41
VIII. Effective Date of the General Permit 41
Tables
Table 1: Summary of Domestic Wastewater Characteristics 7 Table 2: Summary of Wastewater System Setbacks 22
Table 3: Secondary Treatment Effluent Limitations - Treatment Ponds 31 3 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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Table 4: Secondary Treatment Effluent Limitations - Trickling Filters 32 Table 5: Secondary Treatment Effluent Limitations - Activated Sludge, Membrane Biological Reactor, Sequencing Batch Reactor, or Similar Systems 32 Table 6: Effluent Limitations for Designated Groundwater Basins, 25 -Month Rolling Median in mg/L 32
Table 7: Effluent Limitations for Non -Designated Groundwater Basins 34 Table 8: Effluent Limitations for Non -Potable Recycled Water Producers - All Wastewater Systems 34
Table 9: Organic Loading Rate Limitations 35
Attachments
Attachment A — Definitions A-1
Attachment B — Permit Application Process Summary B-1
Attachment C — Application Format C-1
Attachment D — General Monitoring and Reporting Program D-1 Attachment E — Standard Provisions and Reporting Requirements for Waste Discharge Requirements E-1
4 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
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I. List of Frequently Used Acronyms and Abbreviations
Antidegradation Policy
State Water Board Resolution No. 68-16
Basin Plan (BP)
Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coastal
Basin
CFR _
Code of Federal Regulations
CEQA
California Environmental Quality Act
CWC _
California Water Code
DDW
State Water Resources Control Board, Division of
Drinking Water
e.q.
Latin exempli gratia (for example)
General Permit
General Waste Discharge Requirements Order No. R3-
2020-0020
MCL
Maximum contaminant level
mq/L
Milligrams per liter
MRP
General Monitoring and Reporting Program
N
Nitrogen
NPDES
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
Central Coast Water Board
Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
Recycled Water Policy
State Water Board's Policy for Water Quality Control
for Recycled Water
RV
Recreational vehicle
State Water Board
State Water Resources Control Board
title 22
California Code of Regulations, title 22, division 4,
chapter 3
USEPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
WDRs
Waste Discharge Requirements
Wastewater System
Wastewater treatment and disposal system
ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
II. Findings
The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Coast Water Board) finds that:
A. Background Information
1. California Water Code section 13260(a) requires that any person discharging waste or proposing to discharge waste within any region, other than to a community sewer plant, that could affect the quality of the waters of the state, file a report of waste discharge to obtain coverage under waste discharge requirements (WDRs) or a waiver of WDRs. "Waste" is defined in California Water Code section 13050(d). A report of waste discharge is also referred to as an application.
2. Discharges to land from domestic wastewater treatment and disposal systems (Wastewater Systems) have certain common characteristics, such as similar wastes, concentrations of wastes, disposal techniques, flow ranges, and they use the same or similar treatment methods. These types of discharges are 5 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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appropriately regulated under a general waste discharge requirements permit'.
Currently many of the Wastewater Systems in the central coast region are regulated through individual permits. Once effective, this General Waste Discharge Requirements Order No. R3-2020-0020 for Discharges from Domestic Wastewater Systems with Flows Greater than 100,000 Gallons per Day (General Permit) will allow for enrollment of domestic Wastewater Systems and reduce the need for individual permits.
3. For the purposes of this General Permit, the term "Wastewater Systems" shall mean the collection system, treatment equipment, pumping stations, treatment ponds, biological treatment systems, chemical treatment systems, clarifiers, sand/media filters, disinfection systems, recycled water systems (including distribution systems), storage ponds, land application areas, disposal ponds, and other systems associated with the collection, treatment, storage, and disposal of wastewater.
4. Wastewater Systems with monthly average flow rates2 of more than 100,000 gallons per day that discharge to land are eligible for coverage under this General Permit. Wastewater Systems are typically located at commercial or residential subdivisions, communities, cities, and correctional facilities. An owner and/or operator of a Wastewater System(s) is referred to as a Discharger(s) in this General Permit.
5. Wastewater Systems with monthly average flow rates of 100,000 gallons per day or less may be regulated by State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) Order WQ 2014-0153-DWQ. Wastewater Systems regulated by Order WQ 2014-0153-DWQ may continue that coverage unless otherwise directed by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer.
6. Domestic wastewater treatment may include ponds (e.g., facultative, aerobic, anaerobic); constructed wetlands; aerobic treatment systems (e.g., activated sludge; sequencing batch reactors; extended aeration; membrane biological reactors, etc.); biofiltration (e.g., attached growth system, trickling filters, etc.); filtration; clarification; settling; and disinfection systems. The level to which wastewater is treated must be based upon the receiving water quality at the wastewater disposal location.
7. Disposal options for treated effluent may include land application, disposal ponds (evaporation/percolation ponds), non -potable onsite water reuse3 or another engineered alternative approved by the Executive Officer.
8. This General Permit allows the production and onsite use of non -potable recycled water (as defined in California Water Code section 13050(n)) and requires all recycled water to comply with the applicable requirements described in California Code of Regulations, title 22, division 4, chapter 3, (title 22). Compliance with title 1The terms "permit" and "waste discharge requirements" are used in this document and are referring to a set of requirements for a permitted discharge of wastewater to land. 2 See Attachment A for a definition of monthly average flow rate. 3 Water reuse refers to water reclamation and water recycling for non -potable uses. See Attachment A.
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22 water recycling criteria and title 17 sanitation requirements will be determined by the State Water Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW), who are responsible for reviewing and approving title 22 Engineering Reports. Should a recycled water producer choose to use recycled water offsite, that use is regulated under State Water Board Order WQ 2016-0068-DDW, Water Reclamation Requirements for Recycled Water Use.
9. The discussion in this General Permit of treatment, disposal, and water reuse is not intended to limit the selection of alternatives available to the wastewater system designer.
10.This General Permit implements the Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coastal Basin (Basin Plan)4 and therefore requires Dischargers to comply with all applicable requirements in the Basin Plan, including any prohibitions and water quality objectives, governing the discharge of treated wastewater.
11. Wastewater and treated wastewater quality vary depending upon source water quality, the activities generating the wastewater, water conservation efforts, inflow and infiltration, and treatment technology. Some examples of typical domestic wastewater and treated wastewater characteristics are presented in Table 1. Peer reviewed published wastewater books and/or United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) wastewater publications may also be used to characterize wastewater characteristics. Water conservation efforts by some communities in recent years has resulted in increased wastewater strength.
Table 1: Summary of Domestic Wastewater Characteristics Constituent
Units 111
Typical Domestic
Wastewater
Secondary
Treatment
Effluent
Biochemical Oxygen
Demand, 5 -Day
mg/L
200-488 [2] 161171
30-45 [3]
Total Suspended Solids
mq/L
200-389[2] [6]
30-45 131
Ammonia (as N)
mg/L
6-41 [2] 161
0-65 [4]
Nitrite and Nitrate (as N)
mq/L
https://www.epa.gov/nutrient-policy-data/case-studies-
i m p lementi nq-low-cost-mod ifications-i mprove-n ut rient-reduction. [6] Tchobanoglous et. al., (2014) Wastewater Engineering Treatment Resource Recovery, Fifth Edition, Metcalf & Eddy/AECOM, McGraw-Hill Education, page 221, Table 3-18. 4 Please refer to the current Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coastal Basin adopted by the Central Coast Water Board.
https://www.wate rboa rds.ca. g ov/centra lcoast/publications_forms/publications/basin_p la n/ 7 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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[7] Data reported in the City of Santa Maria Wastewater Treatment Plant 2019 Annual Laboratory Report to the Central Coast Water Board.
12. Discharges from holding tanks (e.g., recreation vehicles [RV], portable toilets, airplane wastewater, etc.) may contain chemicals that can pollute water. Some commercially available products used to control holding tank/portable toilet odors may contain harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, zinc, or phenol. The harmful chemicals can kill the bacteria in the Wastewater System and cause wastewater to be inadequately treated. Inadequately treated wastewater may cause additional problems such as disposal system failure, surfacing wastewater, and potential exposure and health risks.
13.The USEPA recommends Escherichia coli (E. coli) and enterococci bacteria, which exist in fecal material from humans and other warm-blooded animals, as the best indicators of health risk from water contacts. Because both bacteria are present in domestic wastewater, there is no need to monitor separately for them in wastewater effluent. The effectiveness of disinfection procedures is similar for both bacteria, therefore total coliform6, which is a less expensive analysis, is appropriate to determine if wastewater effluent is effectively disinfected for bacteria. Total coliform monitoring is also required for recycled water production consistent with title 22.
14. Beneficial uses for groundwater are determined by the Central Coast Water Board and are listed in the Basin Plan. Beneficial uses for groundwater are municipal supply (MUN), industrial service supply (IND), and agricultural supply (AGR). Some beneficial uses only apply to certain geographic areas within the central coast region.
15.The Basin Plan establishes water quality objectives to protect beneficial uses. The objectives may be narrative, numerical, or both. This General Permit requires the Discharger to comply with those objectives in receiving waters.
B. Treated Wastewater Disposal
1. Treated wastewater disposal occurs by different methods. Treated wastewater is often percolated and/or evaporated from ponds and spreading basins or land applied to the ground surface by spray or drip methods. The disposal method will depend upon the amount of wastewater generated, the quality of the wastewater, land availability, site characteristics, and the receiving water. i. Untreated wastewater discharged to an unlined pond for treatment, storage, or disposal (e.g., percolation pond) has the potential to degrade water quality to an unacceptable extent or result in nuisance odors.
Reducing the volume of wastewater percolated from a treatment, storage, or evaporation pond by lining the pond with a synthetic or low permeability liner s USEPA Internet page accessed June 10, 2014
http://water.epa.gov/tvpe/rs1/monitorincilvms511.cfm
6 Escherichia coli is a subset of fecal coliforms and fecal coliforms are a subset of total coliforms.
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can control the percolation rate and reduce the potential threat to water quality from the percolated wastewater.
Discharging high quality, treated wastewater to an adequately designed percolation pond (e.g., adequately sized with appropriate percolation rates and sufficient separation to groundwater) will reduce the potential threat to surface water and groundwater quality from the percolated wastewater.
Overloading a wastewater pond with waste that elevates biochemical oxygen demand can result in nuisance odor generation. Source control of biochemical oxygen demand, additional pretreatment prior to discharge to the pond, or mechanical aeration of wastewater in the pond are typically used to prevent a pond from generating nuisance odors.
Burrowing animals can result in rapid failure of a containment berm and containment berms should be managed to mitigate any associated impacts. i i . When land application of treated wastewater is selected as a disposal method, adequate acreage must be available to allow application rates that will not create nuisance conditions (e.g., vectors, nuisance odors, offsite discharge, ponding, etc.), degrade water quality, or impact public health.
Hydraulic loading of a land application area must be controlled to prevent offsite wastewater discharge and impacts to either surface or groundwater.
2. Wastewater discharged to land near a surface waterbody has the potential to impact surface water quality via runoff, surfacing effluent, or underflow to a gaining stream. The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may require additional monitoring to evaluate the potential for surface water degradation from discharge of treated effluent that would be incorporated into a revised monitoring and reporting program.
3. Setbacks from wastewater treatment areas, land application by spray or drip methods areas, or wastewater impoundment areas from domestic wells, water courses (perennial or ephemeral), lakes/reservoirs, wetlands, and property lines are required in this General Permit. Setbacks are included as a means of reducing potential impacts to water quality associated with wastewater. Setbacks provide attenuation of such impacts through physical, chemical, and biological processes.
The setbacks required in this General Permit are based on the title 22 water recycling criteria, the California Well Standards, the California Plumbing Code, and commonly imposed setbacks by regulatory agencies.
C. Recycled Water
1. Use of recycled water in lieu of potable water is encouraged by the State Water Board. The State Water Board's Water Quality Control Policy for Recycled Water (Recycled Water Policy) states the following goals (in part):
i. Increase the use of recycled water.
ii. Reuse dry weather direct discharges of treated wastewater to enclosed bays, estuaries and coastal lagoons, and ocean waters that can be viably put to a beneficial use.
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iii. Maximize the use of recycled water in areas where groundwater supplies are in a state of overdraft, to the extent that downstream water rights, instream flow requirements, and public trust resources are protected
2. The Recycled Water Policy calls on local water and wastewater entities together with other stakeholders who contribute salt and nutrients to a groundwater basin or sub -area, to fund and develop salt and nutrient management plans to comprehensively address all sources of salts and nutrients. The comprehensive salt and nutrient management plans should be implemented to manage salts and nutrients consistent with the Recycled Water Policy. It is the intent of the Recycled Water Policy that every groundwater basin/sub-basin in California ultimately has a salt and nutrient management plan. One way to address salt and nutrient issues is through the development of regional or sub -regional salt and nutrient management plans. Dischargers may be directed to perform or participate in salt and nutrient management plan planning activities as described in the Provisions of this General Permit.
D. Pretreatment Program for Publicly Owned Treatment Works
1. Under California Code of Regulations, title 23, section 2233, subdivision (a), WDRs for publicly owned treatment works treating or designed to treat an average dry weather flow of five million gallons per day or more of community wastewater must include provisions that the discharger must have and enforce an adequate pretreatment program approved by the appropriate regional board. A regional board may determine that it is appropriate to require a local pretreatment program for publicly owned treatment works treating or designed to treat an average dry weather flow of less than five million gallons per day. A pretreatment program is a regulatory program administered by the discharger that implements national pretreatment standards. USEPA in accordance with section 307(b) and (c) of the Clean Water Act promulgate these standards. This General Permit incorporates General Pretreatment Regulations of Codified Federal Regulation, Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 403, as reference.
2. Pretreatment programs are necessary for some facilities to prevent the introduction of pollutants/wastes which will interfere with the operation of the treatment works, pass through the treatment system, reduce opportunities to recycle and reuse domestic wastewater and sludge, or expose publicly owned treatment works employees to hazardous chemicals.
E. Antidegradation Analysis
1. State Water Board Resolution No. 68-16, the Statement of Policy with Respect to Maintaining High Quality of Waters in California (Antidegradation Policy) requires the following:
i. Higher quality water will be maintained until it has been demonstrated to the state that any change will be consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state, will not unreasonably affect present and anticipated beneficial use of the water, and will not result in water quality less than that prescribed in the policies.
ii. Any activity that produces a waste and discharges to existing high quality waters will be required to meet WDRs that will result in the best practicable 10 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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treatment or control of the discharge necessary to ensure pollution or nuisance will not occur, and the highest water quality consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state will be maintained.
2. The Antidegradation Policy requires maintenance of high quality of waters of the state unless limited degradation is consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state. When issuing a notice of applicability under this General Permit, the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer must ensure that Dischargers implement best practicable treatment or control as necessary to maintain the highest water quality consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state.
3. This General Permit allows discharges to numerous groundwater basins/sub- areas, each with its own chemical characteristics. To the extent a discharge covered under this General Permit may be to high quality waters, this General Permit authorizes limited degradation consistent with the Antidegradation Policy as described in the findings below.
4. This General Permit authorizes discharges of domestic wastewater from Wastewater Systems, which are centralized facilities. Limited degradation of groundwater by some wastes associated with domestic wastewater effluent, after effective source control, treatment, and control measures are implemented, pursuant to this General Permit, is consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state because the technology, energy use, water recycling, and waste management at centralized Wastewater Systems are far more efficient than at individual wastewater systems that would otherwise be used to treat domestic wastewater. The impacts of centralized Wastewater Systems on water quality are typically less than the cumulative impacts from individual wastewater systems, which tend to be concentrated by location.
5. Wastes that have the potential to degrade groundwater include salts, nutrients, chemicals, and pathogens. In addition, excessive biochemical oxygen demand loading of treatment systems (e.g., pond systems, activated sludge systems, etc.) or land application areas may result in nuisance odors or anaerobic conditions, which are not favorable biological treatment conditions.
6. This General Permit includes effluent limitations and a process to determine how to apply these limits. Implementation of the applicable effluent limitations will result in the best practicable treatment or control for the wastewater, and corresponding monitoring requirements specified in this General Permit will ensure the best practicable treatment or control is effective and confirms that water quality will be maintained at a level that is protective of beneficial uses.
7. This General Permit also includes technology -based effluent limitations for biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids to create conditions that support nitrogen reduction and the protection of beneficial uses.
8. Compliance with the General Permit, the notice of applicability, DDW requirements, and any mitigation measures will ensure compliance with the Basin Plan necessary to ensure pollution or nuisance will not occur.
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F. Title 27 Exemption
1. The wastewater treatment, storage, and disposal activities regulated by this General Permit are exempt from the requirements of Consolidated Regulations for Treatment, Storage, Processing, or Disposal of Solid Waste in California Code of Regulations, title 27, section 20005, et seq , which allows a conditional exemption from some or all of the provisions of title 27. The following exemptions apply:
i. California Code of Regulations, title 27, section 20090(a), which exempts discharges of domestic sewage or treated effluent which are regulated by WDRs (e.g., this General Permit) issued pursuant to California Code of Regulations, title 23, division 3, chapter 9, or for which WDRs have been waived, and which are consistent with applicable water quality objectives, and treatment or storage facilities associated with municipal wastewater treatment plants, provided that residual sludge or solid waste from wastewater systems must be discharged only in accordance with the applicable State Water Board promulgated provisions of this division (California Code of Regulations, title 27, section 20090(a)).
ii. California Code of Regulations, title 27, section 20090(b), which exempts discharges of wastewater to land, including but not limited to evaporation ponds, percolation ponds, or applied to the ground surface by spray, flood, or drip methods if the following conditions are met:
a. The Central Coast Water Board has issued WDRs, reclamation requirements, or waived such issuance;
b. The discharge is in compliance with the applicable water quality control plan; and
c. The wastewater does not need to be managed according to California Code of Regulations, title 22, division 4.5, chapter 11, as a hazardous waste.
iii. California Code of Regulations, title 27, section 20090(i), which exempts waste treatment in fully enclosed facilities, such as tanks, or in concrete lined facilities of limited areal extent, such as oil water separators designed, constructed, and operated according to American Petroleum Institute specifications.
G. California Environmental Quality Act
1. This General Permit is intended to cover both new and existing Wastewater Systems. Existing Wastewater Systems are those that were under construction or operating prior to the adoption date of this General Permit. i. The adoption of this General Permit for existing domestic Wastewater Systems is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15301 (ongoing or existing projects), section 15302 (replacement or reconstruction of existing utility systems), and section 15303 (new construction or conversion of structures).
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ii. Discharges from new domestic Wastewater Systems and expanded domestic Wastewater Systems may not be covered by this General Permit until after CEQA requirements have been satisfied. New or expanded systems are subject to further CEQA evaluation on a case -by -case basis by local agencies performing CEQA evaluations of proposed projects. The potential significant environmental impacts from discharges of domestic wastewater from new and expanded Wastewater Systems may be mitigated to less than significant impacts by compliance with this General Permit, the notice of applicability, and any mitigation measures adopted by local agencies.
H. Monitoring and Reporting Program
1. A General Monitoring and Reporting Program is included as Attachment D and includes monitoring for Wastewater Systems, water supply, influent, effluent, recreational vehicle discharge, recycled water, wastewater disposal, sludge/biosolids disposal, and groundwater. Required reporting includes electronic submittal of technical, quarterly, and annual reports.
2. The Central Coast Water Board is transitioning to using the GeoTracker database for waste discharge requirement monitoring and reporting programs. GeoTracker is the State Water Board's Internet -accessible database system used by the State Water Board, regional boards, and local agencies to track and archive compliance data from authorized or unauthorized discharges of waste to land, or unauthorized releases of hazardous substances from underground storage tanks. This system consists of a relational database, on-line compliance reporting features, a geographical information system (GIS) interface and other features that are utilized by the State Water Board, regional boards, local agencies, regulated industry, and the public to input, manage, or access compliance and regulatory tracking data.
3. California Water Code section 13267(b)(1) states:
In conducting an investigation specified in subdivision (a), the regional board may require that any person who has discharged, discharges, or is suspected of having discharged or discharging, or who proposes to discharge waste within its region ... shall furnish, under penalty of perjury, technical or monitoring program reports which the board requires. The burden, including costs of these reports, shall bear a reasonable relationship to the need for the reports and the benefits to be obtained from the reports. In requiring those reports, the regional board shall provide the person with a written explanation with regard to the need for the reports and shall identify the evidence that supports requiring that person to provide the reports.
4. California Water Code section 13268 states:
(a)(1) Any person failing or refusing to furnish technical or monitoring program reports as required by subdivision (b) of section 13267, or failing or refusing to furnish a statement of compliance as required by subdivision (b) of section 13399.2, or falsifying any information provided therein, is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be liable civilly in accordance with subdivision (b). (b)(1) Civil liability may be administratively imposed by a regional board in accordance with article 2.5 (commencing with section 13323) of chapter 5 for a violation of subdivision (a) in an amount which shall not exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each day in which the violation occurs. 13 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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5. The technical and monitoring reports required by this General Permit, the notice of applicability, and the attached General Monitoring and Reporting Program are necessary to ensure compliance with this General Permit. The evidence supporting the need for the reports are contained in the information provided by the dischargers subject to this General Permit and in the files of the Central Coast Water Board. The burden, including costs, of providing the technical reports required by this General Permit bears a reasonable relationship to the need for the reports and the benefits to be obtained from the reports and is consistent with the best interest of the state in maintaining water quality. Prior to enrollment in this General Permit, the Central Coast Water Board will develop a facility -specific monitoring and reporting program to ensure that the burden and benefits fit the specific circumstances.
6. Failing to furnish the reports by the due date or falsifying information in the reports, are misdemeanors that may result in assessment of civil liability against the Discharger in accordance with California Water Code section 13268.
7. The Central Coast Water Board authorizes the Executive Officer to modify the attached General Monitoring and Reporting Program and to issue facility -specific monitoring and reporting programs to Dischargers tailored to the individual facility treatment and disposal systems consistent with the attached General Monitoring and Reporting Program framework and the Discharger's notice of applicability.
Facility -specific monitoring and reporting programs will ensure that the burden of the reports is reasonable.
I. Other Regulatory Requirements and Considerations
1. Dischargers that meet the criteria for coverage under State Water Board Order No. 2006-0003-DWQ, Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer Systems, or updated order, are required to enroll in State Water Board Order No. 2006-0003-DWQ.
2. California Water Code section 13263(a) requires the Central Coast Water Board to consider the factors in section 13241 when adopting WDRs. Consistent with California Water Code section 13241, the Central Coast Water Board, in establishing the requirements contained in this General Permit, considered factors including, but not limited to, the following:
i. Past, present, and probable future beneficial uses of water. ii. Environmental characteristics of the hydrographic unit under consideration, including the quality of water available thereto.
iii. Water quality conditions that could reasonably be achieved through the coordinated control of all factors which affect water quality in the area. iv. Economic considerations.
v. The need for developing housing within the region(s). vi. The need to develop and use recycled water.
vii. The need to support the human right to clean water. viii. The need to implement management strategies that adapt to climate change. 14 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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ix. The need to support disadvantaged communities' access to wastewater treatment and disposal.
3. Human Right to Water - California Water Code section 106.3, subdivision (a) provides that "that every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes."
Central Coast Water Board Resolution No. R3-2017-0004 recognizes the human right to water as a core value, affirms the realization of the human right to water and protecting human health as one of the Central Coast Water Board's top priorities, and also directs staff to conduct specific activities and prioritize regulatory programs to prevent and address discharges that could threaten human health by causing or contributing to pollution or contamination of drinking water sources.
This General Permit incorporates the human right to water resolution by containing requirements that will protect the drinking water beneficial use.
4. Climate Change — This General Permit addresses the threat of climate change, sea -level rise, flooding, and fire by including provisions that require the Dischargers to assess and implement mitigation and adaptation strategies as necessary (section VI.A.3).
5. Disadvantaged Community Status — A disadvantaged community is a community with an annual median household income that is less than 80 percent of the statewide annual median household income. Data from the US Census American Community Survey Data from 2013 to 2017 identifies 12 cities and 36 Specific Census Tract or Block Group areas designated as disadvantaged communities in the central coast region. Being designated a disadvantaged community does make certain grant funds or loans accessible to these Wastewater Systems that serve these communities for the planning and implementation of actions to improve operations and upgrade the Wastewater Systems.
6. California Water Code section 13263(i) states, the state board or regional board may prescribe general waste discharge requirements for a category of discharges if the state board or that regional board finds or determines that all the following criteria apply to the discharges in that category:
i. The discharges are produced by the same or similar operations. ii. The discharges involve the same or similar types of waste.
The discharges require the same or similar treatment standards. iv. The discharges are more appropriately regulated under general waste discharge requirements than individual waste discharge requirements.
Wastewater Systems that will be regulated under this General Permit are consistent with the criteria listed above, and therefore, a General Permit is appropriate. All discharges regulated under this General Permit are produced by the same or similar operations, i.e., domestic wastewater. All discharges regulated under this General Permit consist of the same or similar types of wastes, specifically domestic wastewater, i.e., sewage, from households, commercial establishments, and industries consistent with the description of domestic 15 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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wastewater treatment as defined in section II.A.6. Dischargers use similar treatment and disposal methods (e.g., screening, settling, biological/chemical treatment, clarification, and application to land through ponds, activated sludge, biofiltration, and sequencing batch reactors systems) and because the waste is similar, the discharges require the same or similar treatment standards.
Although the wastewater flows and strength of the Wastewater Systems that will be regulated under this General Permit vary in size and concentration of waste, the requirements of this General Permit are specific to the type of waste and necessary to protect water quality and associated beneficial uses. Individual WDRs are not necessary because the discharges are similar and discharge requirements would be similar if individual WDRs were issued. The variability of influent flow or concentration will be addressed in the design and operation of the Wastewater Systems such that the effluent discharged meets the limitations of the General Permit.
The discharges are more appropriately regulated under general waste discharge requirements rather than individual waste discharge requirements to ensure consistency between these similar operations, to more efficiently use the Central Coast Water Board's administrative functions because more time will be available to implement and oversee permit compliance, and to reduce administrative burdens on dischargers. Of the approximately 185 facilities that are regulated by individual permits in the central coast region, more than 40 facilities treat domestic wastewater with flows greater than 100,000 gallons per day. This General Permit regulating these higher flow domestic wastewater discharges is an effective way to update the waste discharge requirements for more than 40 facilities in the central coast region, while simultaneously creating permitting efficiency by decreasing the number of permits requiring development and regular updating.
7. The biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids effluent limitations contained in this General Permit are technology -based. USEPA has developed technology -based effluent limits for secondary treatment for use in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. However, pond treatment systems often cannot comply with the limits that apply to activated sludge treatment systems due to algae growth in the pond. In response, USEPA developed an equivalent to secondary treatment definition for alternative biological treatment technologies such as a trickling filter or wastewater treatment pond (Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, section 133.105). Although this General Permit only authorizes discharges to land, some of the secondary treatment standards are appropriate to demonstrate that wastewater is adequately treated.
8. Discharge to the waters of the state is a privilege, not a right, and authorization to discharge is conditional upon the discharges complying with provisions of division 7 of the California Water Code and any more stringent effluent limitations necessary to implement water quality control plans, to protect beneficial uses, and to prevent nuisance.
9. This General Permit does not preempt or supersede the authority of municipalities, flood control agencies, or other local agencies to prohibit, restrict, or control discharges of waste subject to their jurisdiction.
16 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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10.To avoid multiple permits simultaneously imposing similar requirements on the same discharge, when a Wastewater System currently regulated by an individual permit enrolls in this General Permit, the existing individual permit is terminated upon issuance of a notice of applicability.
J. Public Participation
1. On February 12, 2020, the Central Coast Water Board held a public outreach meeting with Dischargers and interested persons to discuss the proposed development of a waste discharge requirement permit for the discharge of domestic wastewater with monthly average flow rates of greater than 100,000 gallons per day and solicited comments for consideration during the proposed General Permit development.
2. On June 18, 2020, the Central Coast Water Board notified facilities that currently have WDRs for domestic wastewater with design flows greater than 100,000 gallons per day and other interested persons of its intent to issue a general waste discharge requirements permit for the discharge of domestic wastewater flows of greater than 100,000 gallons per day and provided them with a copy of the proposed General Permit. The Central Coast Water Board has also provided them with an opportunity to submit written comments.
3. During the comment period, Central Coast Water Board staff held four public outreach meetings (on June 25, June 30, July 8, and July 15, 2020) using a virtual platform to facilitate interested persons' review of the draft General Permit. Central Coast Water Board staff presented key components of the draft General Permit and answered questions.
4. After the comment period, Central Coast Water Board staff held a public outreach meeting on September 14, 2020 using a virtual platform to facilitate interested persons' review of changes made to the draft General Permit in response to public comment. Central Coast Water Board staff presented key components of the draft General Permit and answered questions.
5. The Central Coast Water Board, in a public hearing held on September 25, 2020, has heard and considered all comments pertaining to the proposed discharge.
6. After considering all comments pertaining to this General Permit during a public hearing on September 25, 2020, this General Permit was found consistent with the above findings.
7. Any person aggrieved by this action of the Central Coast Water Board may petition the State Water Board to review the action in accordance with California Water Code section 13320 and title 23 California Code of Regulations sections 2050 and following. The State Water Board must receive the petition by 5:00 p.m., within 30 calendar days of the date of adoption of this General Permit at the following address, except that if the thirtieth day following the date of this General Permit falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or state holiday, the petition must be received by the State Water Board by 5:00 p.m. on the next business day:
State Water Resources Control Board
Office of Chief Counsel
17 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
P.O. Box 100, 1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95812-0100
Or by email at waterqualitvpetitionsawaterboards.ca.gov For instructions on how to file a petition for review, see http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/public notices/petitions/water qualitv/wqpetition in str.shtml.
K. Application Process (Applicable to New and Existing Wastewater Systems)
1. Dischargers seeking enrollment in this General Permit must submit an application (also referred to as a report of waste discharge) to the Central Coast Water Board.
The application process is summarized in Attachment B. The Central Coast Water Board has procedures for electronic submittal of application documents. An application consists of:
i. A completed Form 200, which is available at:
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/publications forms/forms/docs/form200.pdf ii. An application fee that serves as the first annual fee. Fees are charged annually and are based on threat and complexity ratings, and the treatment technology employed. Threat and complexity ratings are defined in the fee schedule listed in California Code of Regulations, title 23, section 2200 and available at: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/resources/fees/ iii. A technical report that describes the wastewater generation, treatment, storage, and disposal. See Attachment C Permit Application Format.
2. Upon review of the application, Central Coast Water Board staff will determine if coverage under this General Permit is appropriate. The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer will issue a notice of applicability when coverage under this General Permit has been authorized. The notice of applicability will contain the necessary site -specific monitoring and reporting requirements.
3. Although a Discharger may be eligible for coverage under this General Permit, the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may determine that the discharge would be better regulated by a waiver of WDRs, individual WDRs, or different general WDRs.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that upon adoption of this General Permit, pursuant to California Water Code sections 13263, 13267, and 13523, the Discharger, its agents, successors, and assigns, to meet the provisions contained in division 7 of the California Water Code and regulations adopted hereunder, must comply with the requirements in this General Permit. It is further ordered that where a Wastewater System discharge is currently regulated by an individual permit, that permit is terminated upon the enrollment of the Wastewater System into this General Permit.
III. Prohibitions
The following actions are prohibited:
1. The direct or indirect discharge of any wastewater to surface waters or surface water drainage courses. cwc
2. Discharge of untreated or partially treated wastewater. cwc 18 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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3. The treatment, storage, and/or disposal of waste in or at the Wastewater System that may cause or contribute to a condition of pollution, contamination, or nuisance as defined in California Water Code section 13050.cm
4. The discharge of wastewater other than treated domestic' wastewater.
5. Bypass or overflow of treated or untreated waste.
6. The discharge of waste to land not owned, operated, or controlled8 by the Discharger.
7. Discharge to any areas other than those designated in the notice of applicability.
8. The discharge of waste classified as hazardous (California Code of Regulations, title 23, section 2521(a)), or designated (California Water Code, section 13173). cwc
9. The Dischargers use of agricultural chemicals inconsistent with product labeling, storage instructions, or California Department of Pesticide Regulation requirements for pesticides applications.
10.The discharge of waste in violation of, or not consistent with, the Basin Plan.
11.A physical connection between a recycled water system and a potable water system.
12. The production of recycled water in a manner different than described in the DDW conditionally accepted title 22 Engineering Report.
13.Transportation of undisinfected recycled water within a pipeline designated for the transport of disinfected tertiary treated recycled water. DDW
14. The production of recycled water for direct human consumption, indirect human consumption, or for processing of food or drink intended for human consumption.
DDW
15.The use of equipment used to convey recycled water (e.g., tanks, piping, valves) also used for potable water supply.
16. The discharge of waste in concentrations which are toxic to human, animal, aquatic, or plant life.
17.Cause a statistically significant increase of mineral concentrations in underlying groundwater, as determined by comparison of samples collected from wells located upgradient and downgradient of the disposal area.
18. Cause groundwater to contain taste or odor producing substances in concentrations that adversely affect beneficial uses. BP
19. Cause groundwater to exhibit an instantaneous pH of less than 6.5 or greater than
8.4.BP
See Attachment A.
8 By property ownership or permanent easement.
9 See Attachment A.
19 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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20. Cause nitrate as nitrogen concentrations in underlying groundwater to exceed 10 mg/L, total nitrogen to exceed Basin Plan water quality objectives, or background concentrations, whichever is less.
21. Cause groundwater to contain concentrations of chemical substances or its by-products in amounts that adversely affect any designated beneficial uses. BP
22. Cause groundwater to contain concentrations of:
i. Organic chemicals more than the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for primary drinking water standards specified in California Code of Regulations, title 22, division 4, chapter 15, article 5.5, section 64444, Table 64444-A. ii. Inorganic chemicals more than the maximum contaminant levels for primary drinking water standards specified in California Code of Regulations, title 22, division 4, chapter 15, article 4, section 64431, Table 64431-A. iii. Inorganic chemicals (optimal fluoride levels) more than the maximum contaminant levels for primary drinking water standards specified in California Code of Regulations, title 22, division 4, chapter 15, article 4.1, section 64433.2, Table 64433.2-A.
iv. Radionuclides more than the limits specified in California Code of Regulations, title 22, division 4, chapter 15, article 5, section 64443, Table 64443.
This incorporation -by -reference is prospective, including future changes to the incorporated provisions as the changes take effect. BP
23. Cause groundwater to contain concentrations of chemicals in amounts that adversely affect the agriculture beneficial use provided in Tables 3-1 and 3-2 of the Basin Plan. BP
IV. Specifications
A. All Wastewater Systems
1. The permitted flow rate of wastewater discharged to the headworks must be greater than or equal to 100,000 gallons per day as a monthly average. Headworks are defined as the facilities where wastewater enters a wastewater treatment plant.
Headworks may include bar screens, comminutors, a wet well, and pumps.
2. Treatment and disposal of wastewater and sludge/solids/biosolids must demonstrate best practicable treatment or control for domestic wastewater. Best practicable treatment or control must be demonstrated by compliance with all the following:
i. Compliance with this General Permit.
i i . Compliance with the notice of applicability, which will specify the following (at a minimum):
a. Wastewater System -specific flow or volume limit(s). b. Treatment and disposal methods provided in this General Permit. c. Disposal locations.
20 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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d. Applicable effluent limitations as described in this General Permit. e. For Wastewater Systems that produce recycled water, requirements for operation of the Wastewater Systems and disinfection requirements specified in DDWs conditionally accepted title 22 Engineering Report. f. Water quality related mitigation measures from an approved site -specific CEQA document addressing the Wastewater System (if one is prepared10).
iii. Approved technical reports required by this General Permit.
3. The siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and monitoring of the Wastewater System must comply with the requirements of the notice of applicability, the Basin Plan, and this General Permit.
4. Public contact with wastewater/recycled water must be precluded through use of fences, signs, and/or other appropriate means.
5. Technical reports required as part of the application must be stamped by a California licensed or credentialed professional.11
6. For new or expanding Wastewater Systems within or nearby the boundaries of a centralized wastewater district or regional service area, the Discharger must demonstrate a good faith effort to connect to the centralized system and provide evidence that connection to the system was not approved.
7. The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may require additional investigations or monitoring to demonstrate beneficial uses of water are protected.
8. Owners and/or operators of a Wastewater System that accepts wastes from RVs or other waste systems that utilize holding tanks (e.g., portable toilets, airplane wastewater, etc.) must ensure that such wastes do not deleteriously affect the wastewater system and adversely affect beneficial uses of groundwater with holding tank additives that may contain, among other chemicals, formaldehyde, zinc, or phenol. Use of holding tank chemicals must be discouraged by the Wastewater System owner/operator.
9. Once any of the following plans (see section VII.A and the General Monitoring and Reporting Program) is approved, no material changes can be made without approval by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer. The Discharger must notify the Central Coast Water Board in writing at least 90 days in advance of any proposed material change in any of the plans.
i. Pretreatment Program Plan.
ii. Operations and Maintenance Manual.
10 Discharges from new domestic Wastewater Systems and expanded domestic Wastewater Systems may not be covered by this General Permit until after CEQA requirements have been satisfied.
11 For example, Professional Engineer or Registered Environmental Health Specialist, etc. performing work pursuant to their area of expertise.
21 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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iii. Climate Change Adaptation Plan.
iv. Salt and Nutrient Management Plan.
10.The Discharger must comply with the setbacks described in Table 2 unless an approved variance is obtained from the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer. Setbacks provided in this General Permit are the distances of wastewater treatment areas, land application by spray or drip methods areas, or wastewater impoundment areas from domestic wells, water courses (perennial or ephemeral), lakes/reservoirs, wetlands, and property lines.
Some existing Wastewater Systems may not comply with the setbacks provided herein. The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may choose to enroll such existing, noncomplying Wastewater Systems in this General Permit after approving a variance.
For new or expanded facilities where a Wastewater System will not comply with the setbacks included in the General Permit, these systems will need further evaluation of the setbacks and approval of a variance by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer is required.
In some cases, more than one setback standard exists. For all existing, expanded, or new Wastewater Systems, the following procedures must be implemented when determining the appropriate setback.
i. When the setback requirement comes from title 22, approval of a variance must be obtained from both DDW and the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer.
ii. When the setback comes from the California Well Standards, a reduced setback may be allowed based on site -specific conditions with approval from the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer.
iii. When the setback comes from the Basin Plan, the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may allow a reduced setback based upon site -specific conditions.
iv. When the setback comes from the California Plumbing Code, the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may not approve a reduced setback.
Approval of a variance for setbacks that are not referenced to a requirement listed above will be based on professional judgment and may be revised by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer based on site -specific conditions.
Table 2: Summary of Wastewater System Setbacks 111
Equipment or Activity
Domestic
Well
Flowing
Water
Course [2]
Ephemeral
Water
Course [3]
Property Line
Lake,
Wetland, or
Reservoir
[81
Treatment System
or Collection System [6]
100 [12]
_ 50 [4]
50 [4]
50 [4]
5 _
200 [17]
50 [4]
22 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
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ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
Equipment or Activity
Domestic
Well
Flowing
Water
Course [2]
Ephemeral
Water
Course [31
Property Line
Lake,
Wetland, or
Reservoir
[s]
LAND APPLICATION BY SPRAY OR DRIP METHODS
Land Application Area
(disinfected tertiary
recycled water 11] (10] [19]
501111
25 50
25 200
_
Land Application Area
(disinfected
secondary -2.2 or
secondary-23 recycled
water) [8]
100 [141
50 50
Spray
- 500 [18]
3]
200
Land Application Area
(undisinfected
secondary recycled
_
Spray - 100 [181
water [91, undisinfected
secondary treated
wastewater)
150 [151
100
100
Drip - 50 [131
200
WASTEWATER IMPOUNDMENT (TREATMENT PONDS, STORAGE PONDS, DISPOSAL PONDS[20] AND LAND APPLICATION BY CONTROLLED FLOOD METHODS) Impoundment
(disinfected tertiary
recycled water) [71
100 [16]
100
100
50 200
Impoundment
(disinfected secondary-
_
100 [141
100
100
50 200
2.2 or secondary -23
recycled water). 181
Impoundment
(undisinfected
secondary recycled
water[91, undisinfected
secondary treated
wastewater)
_
150 [151
150
150
50 200
[1]
[2]
All units are in feet
A flowing water course must be measured from the ordinary high-water mark established by fluctuations of water elevation and indicated by characteristics such as shelving, changes in soil character, vegetation type, presence of litter or debris, or other appropriate means. [3] Ephemeral water course denotes a surface water drainage feature that flows only after rain or snowmelt and does not have enough groundwater seepage (baseflow) to maintain a condition of flowing surface water. The drainage must be measured from a line that defines the limit of the ordinary high-water mark (described in "a" above). Irrigation canals are not considered ephemeral drainage features. The ephemeral water course must be a "losing stream" (discharging surface water to groundwater) at the proposed Wastewater System site.
[4] Setback established by California Plumbing Code, Table K-1. [5] Lake, wetland, or reservoir boundary measured from the high-water line. [6] Treatment system (includes all parts of the Wastewater System and piping) and collection system addresses equipment located below ground or that impedes leak detection by routine visual inspection. [7] Disinfected tertiary recycled water is defined in California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60301.230.
23 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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[8] Disinfected secondary -2.2 recycled water is defined in California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60301.220. Disinfected secondary -23 recycled water is defined in California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60301.225.
[9] Undisinfected secondary recycled water is defined in California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60301.900.
[10] Additional restrictions for spray irrigation of recycled water are contained in California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60310(f).
[11] Setback established by California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60310(a). A reduced setback is allowed as described in California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60310(a) if all the conditions in the section are met and compliance is documented in the application and notice of applicability. [12] California Well Standards, part II, section 8. Site -specific conditions may allow reduced setback or require an increased setback. See discussion in Well Standards. [13] Setback for drip or flood application methods. Spray irrigation is subject to additional setbacks and restrictions (see footnote (10]).
[14] Setback established by California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60310(c). [15] Setback established by California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60310(d). [16] Setback established by California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60310(b). [17] Setback established by the Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Policy, section 7.5.5. [18] Setback established by California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60310(f). [19] No spray irrigation of any recycled water, other than disinfected tertiary recycled water, shall take place within 100 feet of a residence or a place where public exposure could be similar to that of a park, playground, or school yard.
[20] Disposal ponds include evaporation and percolation ponds.
B. Pond Systems (Treatment, Storage, and Disposal)
1. All treatment, storage, and evaporation ponds must be lined12 to protect groundwater and associated beneficial uses. Existing wastewater treatment, storage, or evaporation ponds constructed prior to the adoption date of this General Permit where the type of existing lining systems is unknown must be evaluated by a California licensed Professional Engineer or Professional Geologist for permeability and a report submitted to the Central Coast Water Board for Executive Officer approval within one year of the date of enrollment in this General Permit (issuance of the notice of applicability).
Existing wastewater treatment, storage, or evaporation ponds, that do not have permeability of less than 1 x10-6 centimeters per second constructed prior to the adoption date of this General Permit, must be evaluated by a California licensed Professional Engineer or Professional Geologist for permeability and a report submitted to the Central Coast Water Board for Executive Officer approval within one year of the date of enrollment in this General Permit. The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may require these ponds to be lined on a case by case basis depending on the threat to water quality.
2. Two feet of freeboard must always be maintained in ponds to provide adequate storage capacity and prevent wastewater spills. Freeboard must be measured vertically from the lowest elevation of the pond berm to the pond water surface. 12 Liner must have a permeability of less than 1 x106 centimeters per second and may be constructed with synthetic materials, two feet of low permeable soils, or another engineered alternative. Discharger must provide documentation for Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer approval to confirm that a treatment, storage, or evaporation pond is sufficiently impermeable to prevent discharges of untreated or partially treated wastewater. 24 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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Wastewater ponds must contain permanent markers indicating depth and freeboard. If freeboard is less than two feet,13 the Discharger must immediately implement the contingency plan contained in the spill prevention and emergency response plan.14
3. Pond systems must have capacity to accommodate wastewater, design seasonal precipitation, ancillary inflow and infiltration, and wind driven waves. Design seasonal precipitation must be based on the following precipitation criteria:
i. If wastewater spills occur (e.g., breaches in the pond walls, flows spilling over the pond walls, etc.) at existing pond systems, the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may require pond upgrades consistent with the size specification defined below (section IV.B.3.ii).
ii. For new or expanded pond systems, seasonal precipitation used in the pond sizing water balance calculations must be based on the following:
a. The 100 -year return annual total precipitation value distributed monthly in accordance with average (mean) precipitation values. The calculations must demonstrate adequate capacity to maintain two feet of freeboard in the pond(s).
b. The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may allow a lower standard for the return annual total precipitation value, with approval of a technical report describing how operation of the Wastewater System will not result in wastewater spills. If the Discharger seeks relief from the 100 - year return annual total precipitation value, the Discharger must certify that the spill prevention and emergency response plan is adequate to respond to forecast conditions using the 100 -year return annual total precipitation value distributed monthly in accordance with average (mean) precipitation values. The calculations must demonstrate adequate capacity to maintain two feet of freeboard in the pond(s).
4. All ponds must be managed to control breeding of mosquitoes including, but not limited to, the following:
i. An erosion control program must be implemented to ensure that small coves and irregularities are not created around the perimeter of the water surface of the pond(s).
ii. Weeds must be minimized through control of water depth, a shoreline synthetic liner, harvesting, or other suitable measures. iii. Vegetation and debris must be removed from the water surface. iv. Coordination with the local mosquito abatement or vector control district to supplement the measures described above in cases where other methods are infeasible.
13 Reference — Tchobanoglous, George (1979) "Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, Reuse," Metcalf & Eddy, Inc.
14 See section VI.A.2.iv.
25 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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5. A dissolved oxygen concentration of 1.0 mg/L must be maintained in the upper one foot of wastewater ponds to prevent nuisance odors.
6. Burrowing animals active in areas that may compromise the integrity of pond containment must be promptly controlled and repairs to the containment completed as soon as possible.
7. Prior to any removal, drying, treatment, or disposal of sludge for pond maintenance, the Discharger must implement and comply with the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer approved sludge management plan.
8. Constructed ponds must be graded to prevent the accumulation of stormwater runoff into the pond.
C. Land Application by Spray or Drip Methods
1. Wastewater must not be applied to a land application area within 24 hours of forecasted precipitation with a greater than 50 -percent probability of occurring, during precipitation events, or when the land application area surface soil is saturated.
2. Spray irrigation with treated wastewater is prohibited when wind speed (including gusts) exceeds 10 miles per hour. Wind speed may be measured onsite or at a nearby weather station operated by a governmental organization. If the Discharger's land application areas are isolated from receptors, the Discharger may request Executive Officer approval to spray irrigate when wind speeds exceed 10 miles per hour.
3. Land application of treated wastewater must be managed to prevent ponding, runoff, and erosion.
4. Discharge of wastewater (e.g., surface flow, spray drift, etc.) from a land application area is prohibited.
5. If undisinfected wastewater is applied to a land application area, stormwater runoff from the land application area is prohibited.
6. If stormwater can run off from a land application area (during the time of year wastewater is not applied), all applied wastewater must meet disinfection requirements at a level equivalent to disinfected secondary -23 recycled water (California Code of Regulations, title 22, section 60301.225). Land application of more highly treated water is acceptable. Alternatively, a Discharger may submit a technical report, for Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer approval, describing how the land application area will be operated to prevent pathogens from migrating off the land application area with stormwater.
7. Land application areas must be managed to control breeding of mosquitoes including, but not limited to the following:
i. There must be no standing water 48 hours after application of wastewater. ii. Low-pressure and unpressurized pipelines and ditches accessible to mosquitoes must not be used to store wastewater or recycled water. 26 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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iii. The Discharger must coordinate with the local mosquito abatement or vector control district to supplement the measures described above in cases where other methods are infeasible.
D. Land Application by Controlled Flood Methods
The following requirements apply to areas where land application occurs by controlled flood methods (e.g., Spreading Basins, Rapid Infiltration Beds, etc.).
1. Two feet of freeboard must always be maintained in bermed flood areas to provide adequate storage capacity and prevent wastewater spills. Freeboard must be measured vertically from the lowest elevation of the berm to the water surface.
2. Controlled flood areas must have capacity to accommodate wastewater, design seasonal precipitation, ancillary inflow and infiltration, and wind driven waves.
Design seasonal precipitation must be based on the following precipitation criteria:
i. If wastewater spills occur (e.g., breaches in berms, flows spilling over the berms, etc.) at existing controlled flood areas, the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may require upgrades consistent with the size specification defined in section IV.B.3.ii.
ii. For new or expanded controlled flood areas, seasonal precipitation used in the sizing water balance calculations must be based on the following:
a. The 100 -year return annual total precipitation value distributed monthly in accordance with average (mean) precipitation values. The calculations must demonstrate adequate capacity to maintain two feet of freeboard in the bermed flood area(s).
b. The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may allow a lower standard for the return annual total precipitation value, with approval of a technical report describing how operation of the Wastewater System will not result in wastewater spills. If the Discharger seeks relief from the 100 - year return annual total precipitation value, the Discharger must certify that the spill prevention and emergency response plan is adequate to respond to forecast conditions using the 100 -year return annual total precipitation value distributed monthly in accordance with average (mean) precipitation values. The calculations must demonstrate adequate capacity to maintain two feet of freeboard in the bermed flood area(s).
3. Controlled flood areas must be managed to control breeding of mosquitoes including, but not limited to, the following:
i. An erosion control program must be implemented to ensure that small coves and irregularities are not created around the perimeter of the bermed flood area (s).
ii. Weeds must be minimized through control of water depth, harvesting, or other suitable measures.
iii. Vegetation and debris must be removed from the water surface. iv. Coordination with the local mosquito abatement or vector control district to supplement the measures described above in cases where other methods are infeasible.
27 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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4. Burrowing animals active in areas that may compromise the integrity of controlled flood containment must be promptly controlled and repairs to the containment/berms completed as soon as possible.
5. Constructed flood area(s) must be graded to prevent the accumulation of stormwater runoff into the controlled flood area(s).
E. Sludge/Solids/Biosolids Disposal
1. Sludge and solid waste must be removed from screens, sumps, tanks, and ponds as needed to ensure optimal plant operation.
2. Treatment and storage of sludge/biosolids must be confined to the Wastewater System property and must be conducted in a manner that precludes runoff or infiltration of waste into soil.
3. Any storage of residual sludge, solid waste, or biosolids at the Wastewater System must be temporary, and the waste must be controlled and contained in a manner that minimizes leachate formation and precludes runoff or infiltration of waste into soils and groundwater.
4. Residual sludge and solid waste must be disposed of in a manner approved by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer and consistent with the Consolidated Requirements for Treatment, Storage, Processing, or Disposal of Solid Waste (California Code of Regulations, title 27 division 2). Removal for further treatment, disposal, or reuse at disposal sites operated in accordance with valid WDRs issued by the State Water Board or Central Coast Water Board will satisfy this specification.
5. Use and disposal of biosolids must comply with the USEPA Part 503 Biosolids Rule (Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 503).
6. Dischargers that meet the criteria for coverage under State Water Board Order No. 2004-0012-DWQ, General Waste Discharge Requirements for the Discharge of Biosolids to Land for Use as a Soil Amendment in Agricultural, Silvicultural, Horticultural, and Land Reclamation Activities, are required to enroll in State Water Board Order No. 2004-0012-DWQ.
7. Modifications to an approved sludge management plan deemed part of an emergency action must be noticed to the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer within five -days of disposal with a rationale for the emergency modification.
F. Pretreatment Specifications
1. These Pretreatment Specifications apply to:
i. Dischargers that own or operate publicly owned treatment works15 treating or designed to treat an average dry weather flow of 5 million gallons per day or more of community wastewater.
ii. Wastewater Systems that the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer has determined a pretreatment program is necessary to prevent the 15 Publicly owned treatment works is defined in Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 403.3.
28 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
introduction of pollutants/wastes which will interfere with the operation of the treatment works, pass through the treatment system, reduce opportunities to recycle and reuse domestic wastewater and sludge, or expose Wastewater System employees to hazardous chemicals.
2. The Discharger must:
i. Submit a Pretreatment Program Plan to the Central Coast Water Board for Executive Officer review and approval. This plan must provide a clear, long- term plan for addressing the pretreatment requirements contained in Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 403. The Pretreatment Program Plan must be maintained at the wastewater treatment facility and must be presented to the Central Coast Water Board staff upon request or as required by the notice of applicability.
ii. Comply with the pretreatment requirements contained in Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 403. The Discharger must implement and enforce its pretreatment program. The Discharger's pretreatment program is hereby made an enforceable condition of this General Permit. The Central Coast Water Board may initiate enforcement action against an industrial user for noncompliance with applicable standards and requirements as provided in the Clean Water Act. CFR
iii. Enforce the requirements promulgated under section 307(b), 307(c), 307(d), and 402(b) of the Clean Water Act. The Discharger must cause industrial users subject to Federal Categorical Standards to achieve compliance no later than the date specified in those requirements or, in the case of a new industrial user, upon commencement of its discharge. CFR iv. Perform the pretreatment functions as required in Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 403.8(f), including but not limited to:
a. Implement the necessary legal authorities as provided in Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 103.8(f)(1);
b. Enforce the pretreatment requirements under Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, parts 403.5 and 403.6;
c. Implement the programmatic functions as provided in Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 403.8(0(2); and
d. Provide the requisite funding and personnel to implement the pretreatment program as provided in Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 403.8(f)(3) CFR.
V. Limitations
A. Effluent Limitations
This General Permit establishes effluent limitations consistent with USEPA secondary treatment standards, the Basin Plan, and title 22 requirements (if title 22 is applicable).
For any Wastewater System regulated by this General Permit that is not able to achieve immediate compliance with the effluent limitations (as specified in Table 3 through 7 of this General Permit), that Discharger must comply with interim effluent limitations specified in their notice of applicability, which will be based on the effluent 29 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
limitations specified in their preexisting individual waste discharge requirements (individual permit). These interim effluent limitations will remain in effect for a maximum of 24 months after the date of issuance of the notice of applicability.
Where a Discharger believes that additional time (more than 24 months) is needed to achieve compliance with the effluent limitations (as specified in Table 3 through 7 of this General Permit), that Discharger must request a time schedule order pursuant to Water Code section 13300 for consideration by the Central Coast Water Board no later than 12 months after the date of issuance of the notice of applicability. The request for a time schedule order must be submitted as set forth in section VI.A.5.
Central Coast Water Board staff will identify the applicable Wastewater System specific effluent limitations and corresponding monitoring requirements for a Wastewater System in the notice of applicability.
The parameters used within this General Permit to determine Wastewater System specific effluent limitations includes, but is not limited to:
1. Treatment Technology: In the application, the Discharger must identify the treatment technology used at the Wastewater System. The Discharger is required to comply with the applicable secondary treatment effluent limitations specified in Tables 3, 4, and 5.
2. Underlying Groundwater Basin/Sub-Area: In the application, the Discharger must identify the groundwater basin/sub-area that underlies the Wastewater System disposal area and is required to proceed with one of the two options presented below.
i. Option 1: The Discharger complies with effluent limitations specified in Table 6 (for wastewater disposal overlying designated groundwater basins16) or Table 7 (for wastewater disposal overlying non -designated groundwater basins17). The Discharger must demonstrate within 24 months of issuance of the notice of applicability that the quality of effluent discharged from the Wastewater System meets effluent limitations specified in Table 6 or Table 7.
If the Discharger is unable to comply with the effluent limitations within 24 months, the Discharger may be required to implement the groundwater monitoring program as described in Option 2. Even if the Discharger chooses Option 1, the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may require groundwater monitoring to ensure protection of beneficial uses.
Designated Groundwater Basin - If the Wastewater System discharges treated wastewater or non -potable treated recycled water to a designated basin, use effluent limitations in Table 6.
Non -Designated Groundwater Basin - If the Wastewater System discharges treated wastewater or non -potable treated recycled water into a non - designated groundwater basin use effluent limitations in Table 7. 16 See Attachment A for definition of designated groundwater basin. 17 See Attachment A for definition of non -designated groundwater basin. 30 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
If a Wastewater System overlies a non -designated groundwater basin, the Discharger may request Executive Officer approval to use the effluent limitations established for an adjacent designated groundwater basin (Table 6).
ii. Option 2: The Discharger does not comply with the effluent limitations specified in Table 6 or Table 7. The Discharger will be required to implement a groundwater monitoring program to demonstrate compliance with the water quality objectives specified in the Basin Plan.
3. Reclamation of Non -Potable Treated Wastewater: In the application, the Discharger must disclose whether they are a non -potable recycled water producer.
If treated non -potable recycled water from the Wastewater System is discharged to land for the purposes of reuse, the Discharger must comply with the effluent limitations specified in Table 8. The requirements established in the DDW conditionally accepted title 22 Engineering Report and DDW conditional acceptance letter for the Wastewater System also apply. If the effluent limitations or requirements established in the conditionally accepted title 22 Engineering Report for the Wastewater System cannot be met, the Central Coast Water Board reserves the right to:
i. Not permit the proposed discharge to land until effluent limitations can be achieved with proposed source control or treatment design, or ii. Require the Discharger to provide supplemental technical report(s) (e.g., modeling); conduct additional monitoring (i.e., groundwater monitoring, etc.); or implement best management practices (i.e., wastewater disposal management plan, etc.) to confirm compliance with conditions and requirements of this General Permit, to avoid unreasonably affecting present and anticipated beneficial uses, and to ensure that any change to water quality will be consistent with the maximum benefit of the people of the State.
Table 3: Secondary Treatment Effluent Limitations - Treatment Ponds [131 Constituent
Units
30 -Day Average
7 -Day
Average
Sample
Maximum
Biochemical
Oxygen Demand,
5 -Day
mg/L111121
45161
65161
Not
Applicable
Total Suspended
Solids
m /L
g Applicable
45161
65161
Not
Settleable Solids
mL/L 131
0.3 Not
Applicable
0.5 pH
Not
Applicable
between 6.5 and
8.4141
Not
Applicable
Not
Applicable
31 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
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See notes after Table 8.
ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
Table 4: Secondary Treatment Effluent Limitations - Trickling Filters 1131 Constituent
Units
30 -Day Average
7 -Day
Average
Sample
Maximum
Biochemical
Oxygen Demand,
5 -Day
mg/L
30 (61 (7]
45 (61 (71
Not Applicable
Total Suspended
Solids
mg/L
30 [6] [7]
45 [6] 171
Not Applicable
Settleable Solids
mUL
0.3 Not
Applicable
0.5 pH
Not
Applicable
between 6.5 and
8.4 Not
Applicable
Not Applicable
See notes after Table 8.
Table 5: Secondary Treatment Effluent Limitations - Activated Sludge, Membrane Biological Reactor, Sequencing Batch Reactor or Similar Systems Constituent
Units
30 -Day Average
7 -Day
Average
Sample
Maximum
Biochemical
Oxygen Demand,
5 -Day
mg/L
30 [6] [7]
45 i6i in
Not Applicable
Total Suspended
Solids
mg/L
30 [6] [7]
45 [6] in
Not Applicable
Settleable Solids
mUL
0.1 0.3
0.5 pH
Not
Applicable
between 6. 5 and
8.4 PI
Not
Applicable
Not Applicable
See notes after Table 8.
Table 6: Effluent Limitations for Designated Groundwater Basins141 [11j, 25 -Month Rolling Median in ma/L
Basin/Sub-Area
Total
Dissolved
Solids
Chloride
Sulfate
Boron
Sodium
Total
Nitrogen[141 [15]
Big Basin
Near Felton
100
20 10
0.2 10
10 Near Boulder Creek
250
30 50
0.2 20
10 Pajaro Valley
Hollister
1,200
150
250
1.0 200
10 Tres Pinos
1,000
150
250
1.0 150
10 Llagas
300
20 50
0.2 20
10 32
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
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ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
Basin/Sub-Area
Total
Dissolved
Solids
Chloride
Sulfate
Boron
Sodium
Total
Nitrogenl'all,sl
Salinas Valley
Upper Valley
600
150
150
0.5 70
10 Upper Forebay
800
100
250
0.5 100
10 Lower Forebay
1,500
250
850
0.5 150
10 180 -foot Aquifer
1,500
250
600
0.5 250
10 400 -foot Aquifer
400
50 100
0.2 50
10 Paso Robles Area
Central Basin
400
60 45
0.3 80
10 San Miguel
750
100
175
0.5 105
10 Paso Robles
1,050
270
200
2.0 225
10 Templeton
730
100
120
0.3 75
10 Atascadero
550
70 85
0.3 65
10 Estrella
925
130
240
0.75 170
10 Shandon
1,390
430
1,025
2.8 730
10 Estero Bay
Santa Rosa
700
100
80 0.2
50 10
Chorro
1,000
250
100
0.2 50
10 San Luis Obispo
900
200
100
0.2 50
10 Arroyo Grande
800
100
200
0.2 50
10 Santa Maria River
Valley
Upper Guadalupe
1,000
165
500
0.5 230
10 Lower Guadalupe
1,000
85 500
0.2 90
10 Lower Nipomo Mesa
710
95 250
0.15 90
10 Orcutt
740
65 300
0.1 65
10 Santa Maria
1,000
90 510
0.2 105
10 Cuyama Valley
1,500
80 250
0.4 250
10 San Antonio Creek
Valley
600
150
150
0.2 100
10 Santa Ynez River
Valley
33 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS
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ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
Basin/Sub-Area
Total
Dissolved
Solids
Chloride
Sulfate
Boron
Sodium
Total
Nitrogen[1411s]
Santa Ynez
600
50 10
0.5 20
10 Santa Rita
1,500
150
700
0.5 100
10 Lompoc Plain
1,250
250
500
0.5 250
10 Lompoc Upland
600
150
100
0.5 100
10 Lompoc Terrace
750
210
100
0.3 130
10 South Coast
Goleta
1,000
150
250
0.2 150
10 Santa Barbara
700
50 150
0.2 100
10 Carpinteria
700
100
150
0.2 100
10 See notes after Table 8
Table 7: Effluent Limitations for Non -Designated Groundwater Basins Constituent
Units
25 -Month
Rolling Median
Sample
Maximum
Total Dissolved Solids
mg/L
500 [8]
1,000 [8]
Chloride
mg/L
250 [8]
500 [8]
Sulfate
mq/L
250 [8]
500 [10]
Boron
mq/L
0.5 [4] [9]
Not Applicable
Sodium
mg/L
250 [8]
Not Applicable
Total Nitrogen [14] 115]
mg/L
10 [111
Not Applicable
See notes after Table 8.
Table 8: Effluent Limitations for Non -Potable Recycled Water Producers - All Wastewater Systems
Constituent
Unit
Regulatory
Limitations
Total Coliform
MPN/100 mL [5]
title 22 [12]
Turbidity
NTU
title 22 [12]
Chlorine residual
mg/L
title 22 [72]
Other constituents or operational requirements
identified in a title 22 Engineering Report
Not Applicable
title 22 [12]
[1] mg denotes milligrams.
[2] L denotes liter.
[3] mL denotes milliliters.
[4] Basin Plan. For pH, the effluent limitation values shown are a range, not an average or maximum. [5] MPN denotes most probable number.
[6] USEPA Office of Wastewater Management, Water Permits Division, State and Regional Branch, EPA - 833 -K-10-001, September 2010.
[7] USEPA, Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 133.102, Secondary Treatment Standards, Technology -Based Effluent Limits.
34 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
[8] California Division of Drinking Water secondary MCL. California Code of Regulations, Title 22 Division 4.
Environmental Health Chapter 15. Domestic Water Quality and Monitoring Regulations Article 16.
Secondary Drinking Water Standards.
[9] Water Quality for Agriculture, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1985, contains criteria protective of various agricultural uses of water, including irrigation of various types of crops and stock watering.
[10] USEPA primary MCL.
[11] California Division of Drinking Water primary MCL. [12] As specified in State Water Board's Division of Drinking Water title 22 conditional acceptance letter.
Disinfection methods will vary between plants. Some customization of this table will occur in the notice of applicability based on the title 22 conditional acceptance letter. [13] To be eligible for discharge limitations based on equivalent to secondary standards, a Wastewater System must meet all three criteria as specified in Code of Federal Regulations, section 133.105. An applicant must provide an analysis documenting that their Wastewater System meets all three criteria. [14] If a Discharger can demonstrate nitrogen loading associated with discharge to a land application area is reduced through agronomic uptake, the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may approve an adjustment to the nitrogen effluent limits.
[15] Total nitrogen is the sum of total inorganic nitrogen (nitrate + nitrite + ammonium + ammonia) and organic nitrogen.
B. Organic Loading Limitations
If a Wastewater System land applies treated wastewater or treated non -potable recycled water, organic loading limitations listed in Table 9 apply. For operational and management requirements refer to sections IV.0 and IV.D.
Table 9: Organic Loading Rate Limitations
Constituent
Units
30 -Day Average
Maximum
Biochemical Oxygen
Demand, 5 -Day
pounds/acre/day
100
300
C. Groundwater Limitations
The discharge shall not cause the underlying groundwater to exceed the water quality objectives set forth in the Basin Plan.
VI. Provisions
A. Technical Report Requirements
The Discharger must submit the following technical reports in accordance with the schedule specified in the General Monitoring and Reporting Program. The General Monitoring and Reporting Program prescribes the details on the required components of each plan. The Discharger must implement each required plan in accordance with a Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer approved schedule.
1. Pretreatment Program Plan - If directed by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer, the Discharger must submit a Pretreatment Program Plan to the Central Coast Water Board for Executive Officer review and approval. See section IV.F.2.i.
2. Operations and Maintenance Manual -The Discharger must submit a written Operations and Maintenance Manual for Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer review and approval. The Operations and Maintenance Manual must be maintained at the wastewater treatment facility and must be presented to Central Coast Water Board staff upon request. In addition to the required components 35 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
specified in the attached Standard Provisions and Reporting Requirements for Waste Discharge Requirements dated December 5, 2013 (Standard Provisions) A.12 and A.28, the Operations and Maintenance Manual must contain the following components:
i. Sampling and Analysis Plan - The sampling and analysis plan must be sufficient to ensure compliance with the terms of this General Permit and the notice of applicability. If the Central Coast Water Board issues a revised monitoring and reporting program, the Discharger must update the sampling and analysis plan as needed to comply with the revised monitoring and reporting program.
ii. Sludge Management Plan - The sludge management plan must be sufficient to ensure compliance with the terms of this General Permit and the notice of applicability.
iii. Wastewater Disposal Management Plan - The wastewater disposal management plan must be sufficient to ensure compliance with the terms of this General Permit and the notice of applicability.
iv. Spill Prevention and Emergency Response Plan - The spill prevention and emergency response plan must be sufficient to ensure compliance with the terms of this General Permit and the notice of applicability. The spill prevention and emergency response plan must describe operation and maintenance activities to prevent accidental releases of wastewater and to effectively respond to such releases and minimize the environmental impact.
3. Climate Change Adaptation Plan - The Discharger must submit a Climate Change Adaptation PIan18 to the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer for review and approval. The Climate Change Adaptation Plan must describe the Discharger's long-term approach for identifying and addressing climate change hazards and vulnerabilities for their Wastewater System, including all associated infrastructure (e.g., treatment facilities, conveyances to discharge points, and discharge facilities). The Climate Change Adaptation Plan must be maintained at the wastewater treatment facility.
i. Recycled Water Feasibility Plan — For Dischargers with Wastewater System design flows over 1,000,000 gallons per day, the Climate Change Adaptation Plan must contain a recycled water feasibility plan for the production and reuse of non -potable recycled wastewater.
4. Salt and Nutrient Management Plan - If directed by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer, a Discharger must prepare and submit a salt and nutrient management plan, to ensure that the overall impact of treated wastewater and/or water recycling projects does not degrade groundwater resources.
The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may direct the development and implementation of a salt and nutrient management plan when one of following occurs:
18 In place of a static document, the Discharger may develop a living document and/or set of tools that fulfills the components outlined in section VI.A.3. 36 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
i. Non -potable recycled water is produced. It is the intent of the Recycled Water Policy that every groundwater basin/sub-basin in California has a salt and nutrient management plan.
ii. If a Discharger does not treat the wastewater to the effluent limitations specified in Table 6 or Table 7.
iii. Effluent/groundwater data from a Wastewater System demonstrates negative impacts or trends towards negative impacts to groundwater from a discharge.
iv. Central Coast Water Board learns of a current or past discharge that has/had the potential to negatively impact groundwater or surface water.
5. Time Schedule Order Request — If the Discharger requests a time schedule order as allowed by section V.A, a Discharger must prepare and submit for Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer review and approval a time schedule compliance plan to revise its operations and upgrade the Wastewater System as necessary to achieve compliance with effluent limitations in this General Permit. The revised operation practices and/or upgrades must be designed to ensure compliance with General Permit limitations and other requirements, improve consistency of effluent quality, improve the performance of current Wastewater System operations, and provide redundancy, as appropriate, for some existing operations.
B. General Provisions for All Wastewater Systems:
1. The Discharger must comply with all items of Standard Provisions and any updates to the Standard Provisions adopted by the Central Coast Water Board, unless exempted in writing by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer. The Central Coast Water Board will provide the Discharger notice of proposed updates to the Standard Provisions in accordance with procedures for public participation. A copy of the 2013 Standard Provisions currently in effect is available electronically at the following link and is Attachment E of this General Permit:
https://www.waterboards.ca.qov/centralcoast/board decisions/docs/wdr standard provisions 2013.pdf
2. The Discharger must ensure that all site operating personnel are familiar with the contents of the Wastewater System notice of applicability, this General Permit, the General Monitoring and Reporting Program, the Operations and Maintenance Manual, and the conditionally accepted title 22 Engineering Report (for non -potable recycled water production and onsite use when applicable). The Discharger must at a minimum document training provided to all new site operating personnel and refresher training annually to ensure they meet this requirement. A copy of this General Permit, the notice of applicability, and technical reports required by this General Permit must be kept at the wastewater treatment facility for reference by operating personnel.
3. The Discharger must operate and maintain all Wastewater Systems in accordance with an Operations and Maintenance Manual for the Wastewater System that is subject to the approval of the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer. The Operations and Maintenance Manual, including expected performance criteria, a process flow diagram, and a copy of as -built plans, must be kept onsite and 37 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
periodically updated whenever there is a change in operational procedures or an expansion of the system. See Standard Provisions A.12 and A.28 and the General Monitoring and Reporting Program for additional requirements of the Operations and Maintenance Manual.
4. The Discharger must maintain in good working order, and operate as efficiently as possible, any Wastewater System, control system, or monitoring device installed to achieve compliance with this General Permit and the notice of applicability.
5. The Discharger must take all reasonable steps to minimize any adverse impact to waters of the state resulting from noncompliance with this General Permit.
6. Access to the Wastewater System must be limited to authorized persons.
7. This General Permit does not relieve the Discharger from responsibility to obtain other necessary local, state, or federal permits to construct Wastewater Systems necessary for compliance with this General Permit, nor does this General Permit prevent imposition of additional standards, requirements, or conditions by any other agency.
8. The prohibitions, specifications, limitations, and provisions of this General Permit are severable. If any provision of this General Permit is held invalid, the remainder of this General Permit shall not be affected.
9. The Discharger must take all reasonable steps to prevent any discharge in violation of this General Permit.
10.The Central Coast Water Board will review this General Permit periodically and will revise requirements when necessary.
11. Before making a material change in the character, location, or volume of discharge, the Discharger must notify the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer. A material change includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:
i. A change in area or depth used for waste disposal beyond that specified in the notice of applicability.
ii. A significant change in disposal method, location, or volume (e.g., change from land application by spray or drip method to percolation pond or increase in flow).
12. The Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer may require that updated permit application documents be submitted.
13. Wastewater System repairs and expansions must be made in accordance with the conditions of this General Permit, the notice of applicability, and the California Water Code.
14.At least 90 days prior to termination or expiration of any lease, contract, or agreement involving disposal or recycling areas or offsite reuse of effluent, used to justify the capacity authorized herein and ensure compliance with this General Permit, the Discharger must notify the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer in writing of the situation and of what measures have been taken or are being taken to ensure full compliance with this General Permit and the notice of applicability. 38 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
15. Except for material determined to be confidential in accordance with California law, all reports prepared in accordance with terms of this General Permit will be available for public inspection by the Central Coast Water Board. Data on waste discharges, water quality, geology, and hydrogeology are not confidential.
16. For any electrically operated equipment at the Wastewater System, the failure of which would cause loss of control or containment of waste materials, or violation of this General Permit, the Discharger must employ safeguards to prevent loss of control over wastes. Such safeguards may include alternate power sources, standby generators, retention capacity, operating procedures, or other means.
17.In the event of any change in control or ownership of the Wastewater System or wastewater disposal areas, the Discharger must notify the succeeding owner or operator of the existence of this General Permit by letter, a copy of which must be immediately forwarded to the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer.
18.The Discharger must pay an annual fee to the State Water Board in accordance with the fee schedule for each fiscal year (California Code of Regulations, title 23, section 2200). Fees are based on threat to water quality and complexity ratings, which will be determined based on information in the permit application and are subject to revision by the State Water Board. Annual invoices are issued by the State Water Board for the state fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).
C. General Reporting Requirements:
1. The Discharger must report electronically via email and through the State Water Board's GeoTracker database or as otherwise specified in the General Monitoring and Reporting Program.
2. If the Discharger does not comply, or will be unable to comply, with a limit related to pond freeboard, flow rate, the conditionally accepted title 22 Engineering Report requirements, or has bypass or overflow, the Discharger must notify Central Coast Water Board staff by telephone. Current phone numbers for Central Coast Water Board offices may be found on the notice of applicability or on the Internet at:
https://www.waterboards.ca.qovicentralcoast/
Notification must occur as soon as the Discharger or its agents have knowledge of such noncompliance or potential for noncompliance, and the Discharger must confirm this notification in writing within five days. The written notification must state the date, time, nature, cause of noncompliance, immediate response action, and schedule for corrective actions.
3. In the event of a wastewater containment failure, the Discharger must immediately notify California Office of Emergency Services. Notification must be provided as soon as possible and when the notice can be provided without substantially impeding cleanup or other emergency measures (California Water Code, section 13271). A written report to the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer must be submitted within 10 days of the failure describing the cause of the failure and how a recurrence will be prevented. Such a failure must be promptly corrected in accordance with the requirements of this General Permit.
4. Notification requirements for the delivery of off -specification recycled water:
39 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
i. In the event the Discharger of non -potable recycled water does not comply with the recycling specifications in section V.A.3, the Discharger must immediately notify, via telephone and email, the Central Coast Water Board and the applicable DDW District office. Within two weeks of the noncompliance, the Discharger must submit a written follow-up report to the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer and DDW District Engineer, including pertinent information explaining reasons for the noncompliance and steps being taken to prevent the problems from recurring. ii. In the event the Discharger delivers recycled water not meeting the Uniform Statewide Recycling Criteria specification, the Discharger must immediately notify, via telephone and email, all enrollees of the State Water Board's Water Reclamation Requirements for Recycled Water Use (Order WQ 2016-0068- DDW) with potential to have received recycled water from the Wastewater System.
5. All reports submitted in response to this General Permit, including monitoring reports, must be signed in accordance with Standard Provisions section C.14 (Attachment E) using the current transmittal document provided by Central Coast Water Board staff. In addition:
i. For an LLC, all reports must be signed by an LLC member or manager given signing authority by the operating agreement of the LLC if the wastewater discharge will occur on property owned by an LLC.
ii. To be considered a duly authorized representative, all the following must be completed:
a. The authorization is made in writing by a person described above or in Standard Provisions.
b. The authorization specifies either an individual or a position having responsibility for the overall operation of the regulated Wastewater System or activity, such as the position of plant manager, operator of a waste management unit, superintendent, or position of equivalent responsibility (a duly authorized representative may thus be either a named individual or any individual occupying a named position).
c. The written authorization is submitted to the Central Coast Water Board.
6. All reports/documents and laboratory data must be submitted electronically as specified in the General Monitoring and Reporting Program and notice of applicability.
D. Monitoring Requirements
The Discharger must comply with the monitoring and reporting program issued with the notice of applicability, and any future revisions, as specified by the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer. A General Monitoring and Reporting Program is provided as Attachment D.
VII. Enforcement
40 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
A. Violations
Violations of these General Permit requirements may result in enforcement actions as authorized under the California Water Code.
B. Technical and Monitoring Reports
All technical and monitoring reports submitted pursuant to this General Permit are required pursuant to section 13267 of the California Water Code. Failure to submit reports in accordance with schedules established by this General Permit or attachments to this General Permit, or failure to submit a report of sufficient technical quality to be acceptable to the Central Coast Water Board Executive Officer, may subject the Discharger to enforcement action pursuant to section 13268 of the California Water Code.
VIII. Effective Date of the General Permit
This General Permit takes effect upon Central Coast Water Board adoption.
I, Matthew T. Keeling, Executive Officer, do hereby certify the foregoing is a full, true, and correct copy of the General Permit adopted by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region on September 25, 2020. -Z\ Digitally signed by Matthew T.
Matthew T. Keeling xee
waw BDate:2020.10.1313:14:35-07'00'
Matthew T. Keeling
Executive Officer
ECM Subject Name = General WDRs for Large Domestic WWTP, Permit No. R3-2020-0020 \\ca.epa.local\RB\RB3\Shared\WDR\General WDRs for Large Domestic WWTP\General Order\Final Draft\Final Docs\iteml4 att2.docx
41 DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
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ATTACHMENT A
DEFINITIONS
7 -day average
Calculated as the average concentration of the results for the last seven calendar days. If only one sample is collected within a seven-day period, then that one sample becomes the seven-day average value.
25 -month rolling median
The median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample.
For a data set, it may be thought of as the "middle" value. A 25 -month rolling median is determined by using the most recent twenty-five months of data.19 30 -day average
The arithmetic mean of measurements recorded during a calendar month. If only one sample is collected in a calendar month, then that sample measurement is the 30 -day average concentration.
Beneficial uses
The uses of water protected against degradation, such as: domestic, municipal, agricultural and industrial supply; hydropower generation; recreation; aesthetic enjoyment; navigation and preservation of fish and wildlife, and other aquatic resources or preserves.
Existing beneficial uses are uses that were attained in the surface or groundwater after Nov. 28, 1975 and potential beneficial uses are uses that would develop in the future through control measures.
Biosolids
Sludge that has undergone enough treatment and testing to qualify for reuse pursuant to the USEPA Part 503 Biosolids Rule (Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, part 503).
Constituents of emerging concern
Chemicals in personal care products; pharmaceuticals including antibiotics; antimicrobials; industrial, agricultural, and household chemicals; hormones; food additives; transformation products; inorganic constituents; and nanomaterials.
Constituent
An informal term used to describe a detectable element or component or attribute of waste or effluent.
19 Steps for determining the 25 -month rolling median:
a. Order 25 -months of data from least to greatest. Put the smallest value first and arranging the values so that each following value is greater than the previous one. b. Find the middle number.
• If there is an odd number of values, locate the middle number. This is the median.
• If there is an even number of values, find the two middle numbers. Average of the two middle numbers. This is the median.
ATTACHMENT A - DEFINITIONS A-1
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
Contaminant
Any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in air, water, or soil.
Day
The mean solar day of 24 hours beginning at mean midnight. All references to "day" in this General Permit are calendar days.
Designated groundwater basin
Designated groundwater basins are identified in Table 3-6 of the Basin Plan. Designated groundwater basins have basin -specific water quality objectives and water quality objectives associated with groundwater beneficial uses (municipal supply [MUN], industrial service supply [IND], and agricultural supply [AGR]).
Disposal ponds
Disposal ponds Include percolation and evaporation ponds.
Domestic wastewater
Wastewater from households, commercial establishments, and industries. Combined sewer/separate storm overflows are included in this category.
Flow weighted sample
A sample collected at varying time intervals (average interval one hour or less) so that each sample represents an equal portion of the cumulative flow. The duration of the sampling period will be specified in the monitoring and reporting program.
Impoundment
Impoundment refers to treatment ponds, storage ponds, disposal ponds, and land application by controlled flood methods.
Indirect potable reuse
Indirect potable reuse of treated wastewater use an environmental buffer, such as a lake, river, or a groundwater aquifer, before the water is treated at a drinking water treatment plant.
Land application area
The areas where wastewater is applied to land by spray, drip, or controlled flood methods.
Ponds are not considered land application areas.
Monthly average flow rate
The total discharge to the headworks by volume during a calendar month divided by the number of days in the month that the wastewater system was discharging. This number must be reported in gallons per day or million gallons per day.
Non -Designated groundwater basin
Non -designated groundwater basins are not identified in Table 3-6 of the Basin Plan. Non - Designated groundwater basins have water quality objectives associated with groundwater beneficial uses (municipal supply [MUN], industrial service supply [IND], and agricultural supply [AGR]).
Pesticide
Any substance intended to control, destroy, repel, or otherwise mitigate a pest. The term pesticide is inclusive of all pest and disease management products, including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, nematicides, rodenticides, algicides, etc.
ATTACHMENT A - DEFINITIONS A-2
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
Recycled water
Water that is used more than one time before it passes back into the natural hydrologic system and is suitable for a beneficial use.
Sample maximum
The highest measurement recorded for any grab or composite sample collected during a day in a calendar month.
Secondary treatment
USEPA establishes secondary treatment standards for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), which are minimum, technology -based requirements for municipal wastewater treatment plants. These standards are reflected in terms of five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BODE), total suspended solids (TSS) removal, and pH.
Sludge
The solid, semisolid, and liquid residues removed during primary, secondary, or other wastewater treatment processes. Residual sludge is sludge that will not be subject to further treatment at the Wastewater System.
Solid waste
Solid waste is the grit and screenings generated during preliminary treatment.
Spreading basin/ Rapid infiltration beds
Controlled flood methods used for wastewater disposal.
Time -weighted sample
A sample collected at equal time intervals, with a maximum interval of one hour.
Title 22 Engineering Report
Report that describes how a project will comply with the Water Recycling Criteria contained in California Code of Regulations, title 22, sections 60301 through 60355, inclusive and compliance with title 17 for cross connection control.
Wastewater system
Refers to the collection system, treatment equipment, pumping stations, treatment ponds, biological treatment systems, chemical treatment systems, clarifiers, sand/media filters, disinfection systems, recycled water systems (including distribution systems), storage ponds, land application areas, disposal ponds, and other systems associated with the collection, treatment, storage, and disposal of wastewater.
ATTACHMENT A - DEFINITIONS A-3
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
ATTACHMENT B
PERMIT APPLICATION PROCESS SUMMARY
The Discharger must complete the following steps:
Step 1: Feasibility Analysis:
• Evaluate the feasibility of connecting the discharge to a regional collection system. • If it isn't feasible to connect to regional system, prepare a conceptual wastewater plan and go to Step 2.
Step 2: Set up a Meeting with Central Coast Water Board Staff to Discuss the Following:
• Conceptual wastewater plan including wastewater plan for characterization, treatment, and disposal.
• Water balance precipitation value.
• Threat and complexity/application fee.
• Is a title 22 Engineering Report needed?
• Is groundwater monitoring needed?
• Is the Sanitary Sewer System General Permit applicable? • What level of operator certification may be required? • California Environmental Quality Act status.
• Application and monitoring report procedures.
Step 3: Submit Permit Application that Includes:
• Completed application (also referred to as a report of waste discharge) and Form 200 or notice of intent.
• Application fee payment.
• Technical report (prepared consistent with the guidance in Attachment C, or as directed by Central Coast Water Board staff).
• Title 22 Engineering Report (if recycling).
Step 4: Central Coast Water Board Permit Application Review:
• If the application is complete, a notice of applicability will be prepared. • If the application is incomplete, Central Coast Water Board staff will notify the Discharger.
Step 5: Notice of Applicability for Enrollment in the General Permit Issued:
• The notice of applicability authorizes the wastewater discharge consistent with the General Permit, additional requirements included in the notice of applicability, and conditionally accepted title 22 Engineering Report (if applicable). • The notice of applicability will specify compliance criteria, monitoring requirements, and reporting requirements. Electronic reporting will be required.
ATTACHMENT B - PERMIT APPLICATION PROCESS SUMMARY B-1
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ORDER NO. R3-2020-0020
FLOWS GREATER THAN 100,000 GPD
ATTACHMENT C
PERMIT APPLICATION FORMAT
The information presented in the permit application (also referred to as a report of waste discharge) is relied upon by staff to prepare the notice of applicability for coverage by this General Permit for Discharges from Domestic Wastewater Systems with monthly average flow rates greater than 100,000 gallons per day in the central coast region. The Discharger must ensure that the information presented in the application is accurate.
Misstatements, errors, or omissions that exist in the application may be included in the notice of applicability and become enforceable.
Waste discharge requirement permits are generally updated at 10 or 15 -year intervals depending on the waste's potential to impact water quality. The application must state realistic growth projections. Underestimating growth may result in additional or more frequent permitting requirements. Overestimating growth will result in the need for the Discharger to prepare more treatment, storage, and disposal capacity than might otherwise be immediately required.
Dischargers must submit an application that is consistent with the application format and instructions provided on the Central Coast Water Board webpage:
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/water issues/programs/wastewater permit tinq/
ATTACHMENT C - APPLICATION FORMAT C-1
Water Boards
C/'
/' GAVIN NEWSOM
� GOVERNOR
JARED BLUMENFELD
SECRETARY FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
February 24, 2022
Shad Springer, Public Works Director
City of Santa Maria — Utilities Department
2065 E. Main Street
Santa Maria, CA 93454
Email: sspringer(a�citvofsantamaria.orq
Dear Mr. Springer:
Sent Via Electronic Mail
EXTENSION TO SUBMIT NOTICE OF INTENT (PERMIT APPLICATION) — CITY OF SANTA MARIA, CITY OF SANTA MARIA WASTEWATER FACILITY, 601 BLACK
ROAD, CITY OF SANTA MARIA, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
The City of Santa Maria is currently permitted by Waste Discharge Requirements Order No. R3-2010-0001 for the City of Santa Maria Wastewater Facility (individual permit).
On November 5, 2021, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Coast Water Board) issued a letter requiring the City of Santa Maria submit a notice of intent to enroll in General Waste Discharge Requirements Order No. R3-2020- 0020 for Discharges from Domestic Wastewater Systems with Flows Greater than 100,000 Gallons per Day (General Permit). The letter required the City of Santa Maria submit a notice of intent by February 5, 2022. On January 25, 2022, the Central Coast Water Board received a letter from City of Santa Maria requesting an extension of the due date to August 5, 2022.
The Central Coast Water Board grants the extension request for a later submission date of August 5, 2022 provided the City of Santa Maria meet the milestones outlined below.
Requirement for a Notice of Intent
The City of Santa Maria is required to submit a notice of intent that contains current wastewater system information. By August 5, 2022, City of Santa Maria must complete the General Permit notice of intent found at the link below, and submit this notice of intent to: RB3-WDR(cWaterboards.ca.gov. This notice of intent is an electronic form and must be completed by typing responses into the provided space. https://www.waterboards.ca.qov/centralcoast/board decisions/adopted orders/2021/not ice of intent.pdf
DR. JEAN -PIERRE WOLFF, CHAIR 1 MATTHEW T. KEELING, EXECUTIVE OFFICER 895 Aerostats Place, Suite 101, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 I www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralconat ATTACHMENT"C"
City of Santa Maria WWTP
- 2 - February 24, 2022
The City of Santa Maria will provide information to the Central Coast Water Board indicating progress towards submittal of their notice of intent by August 5, 2022. The supporting information includes:
1. Providing to the Central Coast Water Board a copy of the agreement between the City of Santa Maria and a qualified environmental consultant by mid -February 2022.
2. Informing the Central Coast Water Board of the date the City of Santa Maria Council meeting will hear a presentation on the proposed General Order enrollment, anticipated for June 2022.
3. Informing the Central Coast Water Board of the date the City of Santa Maria Council will authorize the signing and submission of the notice of intent, prior to August 5, 2022.
The Central Coast Water Board's requirement that the City of Santa Maria submit a notice of intent and supporting information is made pursuant to section 13260 of the California Water Code.
Once Central Coast Water Board staff deem City of Santa Maria's application complete, Central Coast Water Board staff will issue a notice of applicability. Issuance of the notice of applicability authorizes coverage and enrollment of the City of Santa Maria Wastewater Facility in the General Permit and terminates the existing individual permit.
City of Santa Maria must comply with the conditions of the General Permit upon receipt of the notice of applicability.
Legal Requirements
Pursuant to California Water Code section 13260, the City of Santa Maria must file a report of waste discharge (also referred to as a notice of intent) serving as an application for enrollment in the General Permit. Pursuant to California Water Code section 13261, failure to furnish a notice of intent by August 5, 2022, may subject the City of Santa Maria to administrative civil liability (monetary penalties) for a maximum of $1,000 for each day of violation. If the Central Coast Water Board imposes a penalty, the required information still needs to be submitted. The Central Coast Water Board reserves the right to take any enforcement action authorized by law.
For questions regarding this letter, please contact Central Coast Water Board staff Cecile Blancarte at (805) 5424782, Cecile.BlancarteAWaterboards.ca.gov, or Jennifer Epp at Jennifer.Eppna.waterboards.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
r • Digitally signed by Jennifer Epp
Jennifer p ate:2022.022317:39:21
-081001
for Matthew T. Keeling
Executive Officer
City of Santa Maria WWTP
- 3 - February 24, 2022
cc:
Russ Newman, rnewmanacityofsantamaria.orq
Alexandra Griffith, agriffithc cityofsantamaria.orq
Mark Lemus, Mark.Lemus(a)Waterboards.ca.gov
Cecile Blancarte Cecile. BlancarteaWaterboards.ca.gov
Jennifer Epp, Jennifer.EppAWaterboards.ca.gov
WDR Program, RB3-WDRP.Waterboards.ca.gov
ECM/CIWQS = 255678
GeoTracker No. = WDR100029562
Rev 4/7/2020
ECM Subject Name = NOI Extension Date Granted — City of Santa Maria \\ca.epa.local\RB\RB3\Shared\WDR\WDR Facilities\Santa Barbara Co\Santa Maria WWTP\2021\Large Order Enrollment\13260 eNOI_extension_large domestic_SantaMaria.docx