Michigan Administrative Code › Department - Environmental Quality › Water Resources Division › Water Resources Protection › Part 22 - GROUNDWATER QUALITY › Section R. 323.2220 - Characterization of waste or wastewater to be discharged

Current through Vol. 24-12, July 15, 2024
Rule 2220.
(1)
				  Before a permit can be issued under R 323.2218, an applicant shall properly
				  characterize the waste or wastewater to be discharged. To properly characterize
				  the waste or wastewater, the applicant shall determine the pollutants that may
				  be present in the waste or wastewater in light of the process by which it is
				  generated. The applicant shall use the methods described in this rule to make
				  the determination.
(2) Samples of
				  effluent collected to determine the presence of inorganic substances shall be
				  unfiltered.
(3) For a substance for
				  which there is an analytical method approved by the department for purposes of
				  monitoring under this part, the waste or wastewater shall be representatively
				  sampled using sampling procedures specified in the EPA document entitled "Test
				  Methods for the Evaluation of Solid Waste, Physical-Chemical Methods," SW-846,
				  3rd Edition, September 1986, as updated through the effective date of these
				  rules and analyzed using analytical procedures specified in either SW-846 or
				  the publication entitled "Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the
				  Analysis of Pollutants," 40 C.F.R. Part 136, or other methods approved by the
				  department for purposes of monitoring under this part. SW-846 and updates and
				  the guidelines are adopted by reference in these rules and are available for
				  inspection at the Lansing office of the department of environmental quality,
				  waste management division. The documents may be purchased from the United
				  States Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box
				  371954, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15250-7954, or the Michigan Department of
				  Environmental Quality, Waste Management Division, P.O. Box 30241, Lansing,
				  Michigan 48909, at a cost at the time of adoption of these rules of $319.00 and
				  $36.00, respectively, plus shipping and handling.
(4) Reporting levels shall be those approved
				  by the department as the lowest level routinely quantifiable with acceptable
				  precision and accuracy by standard laboratory methods. Not less than 4 discrete
				  samples are necessary to be considered representative, unless a lesser number
				  is approved by the department.
(5)
				  For any other substance that may be present, an estimate of the substance
				  concentration in the discharge shall be made with a mass balance calculation or
				  other estimate approved by the department. The estimate shall use the annual
				  average use rate for the substance and annual average discharge volume, except
				  when an alternative is approved by the department.
(6) For a facility not yet operating, the
				  discharger shall characterize the anticipated discharge using the best
				  available information. The discharger shall identify the source of the
				  information in the application.
(7)
				  The department may require the characterization of sludge generated by the
				  wastewater treatment process as it relates to the ability of the discharge to
				  meet the standards of R 323.2222 as a condition of authorizing a discharge
				  under these rules. The characterization shall be done according to the
				  procedures described in subrule (3) of this rule.
(8) The department may require the
				  characterization of other environmental media affected in the treatment of
				  wastewater as a condition of authorizing a discharge under these rules. The
				  characterization shall be done according to the procedures described in subrule
				  (3) of this rule.
(9) The
				  department may waive the requirements of this rule if the nature of the
				  material to be characterized is sufficiently well understood to ensure that the
				  conditions of R 323.2204(2)(a) will be met.