Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 250 - Department of Environmental Management › Chapter 150 - Water Resources › Subchapter 10 - Wastewater And Storm Water › Part 4 - Rules and Regulations for the Operation and Maintenance of Wastewater Treatment Facilities (250-RICR-150-10-4) › Section 250-RICR-150-10-4.5 - Operation and Maintenance Plan Requirements

Current through June 14, 2024
A. At all
				  times, Wastewater Treatment Facilities shall be maintained in good working
				  order and operated as efficiently as possible. Proper operation and maintenance
				  may include but not be limited to effective performance based on facility
				  design, adequate funding, effective management, adequate operator staffing and
				  training and adequate laboratory and process controls including quality
				  assurance procedures as determined to be appropriate by the Director and backup
				  or auxiliary facilities or similar systems to assure compliance or effective
				  performance. Proper operation and maintenance must include emergency procedures
				  and reporting requirements in case of power outages, natural disaster, labor
				  shortage (whether the result of intentional work stoppages or epidemic)
				  equipment failure, acts of terrorism/vandalism or Sanitary Sewer Overflow.
				  Reporting requirements shall include verbal notification to the Department and,
				  if applicable, the Owner of the host Wastewater Treatment Facility as soon as
				  possible, but not exceeding twenty-four (24) hours of discovery of the event; a
				  written report must be submitted to the Department not more than five (5)
				  business days of the event's ending.
B. The Owner shall submit for review and
				  approval by the Director an Operation and Maintenance Plan prescribing
				  standards and procedures by which the Wastewater Treatment Facility will be
				  staffed, operated and maintained during normal and emergency conditions. Should
				  development of the Plan include the practice of engineering, the Plan must then
				  be prepared and certified by a Registered Professional Engineer registered in
				  the State of Rhode Island.
C. The
				  Owner of a new Wastewater Treatment Facility, or the owner of an existing
				  Wastewater Treatment Facility that is being upgraded shall submit a draft
				  Operations and Maintenance Plan, or draft revisions to an existing approved
				  Plan, to the Director for review and approval at least sixty (60) days prior to
				  commencement of operation of the new or upgraded Wastewater Treatment
				  Facility.
D. The Owner of an
				  existing Wastewater Treatment Facility without an approved Plan must submit for
				  approval a Plan necessary to comply with the requirements herein within one (1)
				  calendar year of the promulgation of these Rules and Regulations, or at some
				  other pre-approved time as determined at the discretion of the
				  Director.
E. The Owner of an
				  existing Wastewater Treatment Facility with an approved Plan must submit for
				  approval all revisions necessary to comply with the requirements herein within
				  one (1) calendar year of the promulgation of these Rules and Regulations, or at
				  some other pre-approved time as determined at the discretion of the
				  Director.
F. The Owner may request
				  an extension in time to complete and submit the required revisions or
				  submission of a Plan, per §§
										4.5(D) and
				  (E) of this Part, but this extension cannot
				  exceed one year in addition to the one year herein.
1. A request for submission extension must be
				  in writing and be received by the Department no later than three (3) months
				  prior to the required submittal date. Any request received later than three
				  months prior to the required submittal date will be denied.
2. The request for extension must include all
				  applicable reasons that would require additional time for the submission of a
				  draft plan.
3. It shall be at the
				  Director's discretion to approve or deny such a request for extensions of
				  submission.