South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 61 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL › Subchapter 61-9 - Water Pollution Control Permits › Subchapter 61-9.505 - LAND APPLICATION PERMITS AND STATE PERMITS › Part C - LAND APPLICATION PERMIT AND STATE PERMIT CONDITIONS › Section 61-9.505.C.42 - Additional conditions applicable to specified categories of Land Application permits and State permits

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
The following conditions, in addition to those set forth in
					 section505.41, apply to all Land Application permit or State permits within the
					 categories specified below:
(a)R.61-9.122.42(a) and (b)(a) and (b) shall
				  apply.
(b) Irrigation of treated
				  wastewater. This includes all methods of surface application, including but not
				  limited to, fixed gun application, travelling or mobile gun application, or
				  center pivot application.
(1) Spray field
				  slopes shall not exceed 10 percent unless approved by the Department. The
				  Department may require that slopes be less than 10% based on site
				  conditions.
(2) Effluent
				  distribution systems shall be designed so that the distribution pattern
				  maximizes uniform application. The Department may require the permittee to
				  modify existing land application site(s) distribution systems based on site
				  conditions (e.g., potential for ponding, runoff, or discharges to open
				  ditches).
(3) Soil borings may be
				  required by the Department to depict the lithologic and hydrogeologic
				  characteristics of the subsurface. The requirements of R.61-67 would apply.
(4)
(i) At
				  proposed spray sites with satisfactory soil conditions, design application
				  rates for hydraulic loading shall not exceed (with the exception of seasonal
				  application) the rates shown in Table I (unless one of the conditions in
				  (4)(ii)-(vi) apply) :
Table I
Depth to Seasonal High Water (or measured high
								  water depth, e.g. piezometer readings)
Design Application Rate (gallons per day per
								  acre) (gpd/acre)
5 feet or more
2 inches/week (in/wk), 7,758 gpd/acre
4 feet
1 in/wk, 3,879 gpd/acre
3 feet
0.5 in/wk, 1,940 gpd/acre
less than 3 feet
no application (unless otherwise
(ii) The applicant may request intermediate
				  loading rates, if the seasonal high water table is between the depths shown in
				  the table.
(iii) If the seasonal
				  high water table (or measured high water depth e.g. piezometer readings), is
				  less than three (3) feet, the Department may consider permitting the land
				  application site if the domestic wastewater facilities are designed to meet
				  monthly average effluent limits for 5-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand
				  (BOD5) of 10 mg/l, Ammonia nitrogen
				  (NH3-N) of 2 mg/l and Nitrate (N) of 10 mg/l, or
				  industrial facilities with non-process wastewater or other suitable wastes. The
				  Department may eliminate some or all of the groundwater monitoring requirements
				  for these facilities.
(iv) The
				  application rate may be limited based on pollutant loading including any
				  pollutant required for monitoring under effluent guidelines ( 40 CFR Part 136;
				  Subchapter N ( 40 CFR Parts 400 through 402 and 404 through 471 ). The
				  applicant for domestic wastewater or other systems with a nitrate/nitrogen
				  loading may be required to provide the Department, a nitrate to nitrogen
				  loading balance to determine if the application rates shown in Table I shall be
				  adjusted.
(v) The Department may
				  consider application rates in excess of two (2) inches per week for sites that
				  meet the depth to groundwater shown in Table I, provided the application period
				  is only for a portion of the year, or the application is for reclaimed water.
				  The applicant must provide sufficient information to the Department to justify
				  a higher application rate (information required may include, but is not limited
				  to a water balance for the summer season).
(vi) For Domestic wastewater facilities
				  designed to meet monthly average effluent limits of a 5-day Biochemical Oxygen
				  Demand (B0D5) of 10 mg/l, NH3-N
				  of 2 mg/l and Nitrate of 10 mg/l, or industrial facilities with non-process
				  wastewater, or other suitable wastes. If the seasonal high water table (or
				  measured high water depth e.g. piezometer readings), for the land application
				  site is three (3) feet or more, the Department may eliminate some or all of the
				  groundwater monitoring requirements for these facilities.
(5) The design application frequency for
				  effluent irrigation shall not exceed a spray to rest ratio suitable for the
				  soil conditions. A spray to rest ratio of 1:20 shall be used unless an
				  alternative rate is approved by the Department. The application frequency for
				  other activities (such as sludge or septage application) would be determined on
				  a site specific basis.
(6) The
				  application site shall be divided into designed spray areas to meet this spray
				  to rest ratio and a continuous application period per defined spray area shall
				  be designed not to exceed 1.2 hours per day, or up to 8 consecutive hours per
				  week (only under those limited conditions when excessive rainfall on the
				  application sites requires application in one day). If the design application
				  rate on a daily basis is exceeded, the Department may require the permittee to
				  provide additional spray application area or alternative disposal methods may
				  be required (e.g. expanding storage capacity for effluent at the facility).
				  Alternative application periods (such as golf course irrigation) may be
				  approved by the Department.
(7) For
				  permitted spray disposal areas which already receive irrigation (e.g.
				  stormwater, potable water or well water), the effluent application rates may be
				  modified by the Department to correspond to the depth to the measured high
				  water table or to the seasonal high water table, whichever is more
				  shallow.
(8) The new or expanding
				  spray field shall be at least 200 feet from surface waters of the State,
				  occupied buildings and potable water wells unless otherwise approved by the
				  Department. The new or expanding spray field shall be at least 100 feet from
				  the property boundary except for golf courses where it shall be at least 75
				  feet. The Department may require modification to existing permitted spray
				  fields to control the application areas by the addition or expansion of a
				  buffer zone. The applicant may request the buffer zone for specific spray areas
				  be eliminated for sites where the adjacent property owner agree to the
				  elimination of the buffer in writing. The Department may approve an elimination
				  of the buffer zone based on the information provided by the
				  applicant.
(9) A dike or berm
				  around the perimeter of the spray field may be required in specific areas
				  determined by the Department as necessary to prevent potential surface runoff
				  from entering or leaving the spray site. The Department may consider alternate
				  methods of runoff controls that may be proposed by the applicant.
(10) A system for monitoring the quality of
				  groundwater shall also be established for the proposed spray site (for those
				  systems requiring groundwater monitoring). The location of all the monitor
				  wells shall be approved by the Department. The applicant shall provide at least
				  one monitoring well up-gradient of the spray area and at least two groundwater
				  monitoring wells down-gradient. For larger spray fields, more than three
				  groundwater monitoring wells may be required. For land application on golf
				  courses with secondary effluent limits, nine monitor wells shall be provided
				  for 18 fairways (or one groundwater well per two fairways for differing course
				  sizes). The Department may reduce the number of groundwater monitoring wells
				  required based on site conditions (e.g. a significant number of existing
				  groundwater monitoring wells in a small area with multiple golf courses, or
				  existing groundwater monitoring data).
(11) Groundwater samples for new application
				  sites (for those systems requiring groundwater monitoring) shall be analyzed
				  for the following parameters. Background groundwater sampling data may be
				  required for new sites prior to the use of the site using similar parameters.
				  For existing or expanding sites the Department may eliminate any parameter
				  based on actual site information, wastewater characteristics or the groundwater
				  data from consistent wastewater plant operations. Groundwater sampling may be
				  required for existing sites (with no current groundwater monitoring wells), or
				  expanding sites prior to the permitting of the expansion, to determine actual
				  groundwater conditions.
(i) Water table
				  elevation and water table depth
(ii) [Reserved]
(iii) Chloride
(iv) Ammonia
				  (NH3)
(v)
				  Nitrate (N)
(vi)
				  [Reserved]
(vii) pH
				  (field)
(viii) Sodium
(ix) Total dissolved solids (TDS) This
				  parameter may be added to the continuing groundwater monitoring based on the
				  result of field specific conductance.
(x) Field specific conductance
(12) Additional parameters may be
				  required in the initial background groundwater analysis and subsequent
				  monitoring thereafter, but such needs will be assessed on an individual project
				  basis. Any pollutant required for monitoring under effluent guidelines ( 40 CFR
				  Part 136; Subchapter N ( 40 CFR Parts 400 through 402 and 404 through 471 ))
				  may be required (in a permit) to be monitored in groundwater.
(13) The Department may require the applicant
				  provide a nutrient balance which may include, but not be limited to, nutrient
				  uptake of the proposed groundcover, crop or silviculture, design application
				  rates, size and soil conditions present, and the total nutrient loading to the
				  application site. The Department may adjust the application rates to each site
				  based on the nutrient balance.