Virginia Administrative Code › Title 12 - HEALTH › Agency 5 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Chapter 640 - ALTERNATIVE DISCHARGING SEWAGE TREATMENT REGULATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS › Part III - Location, Design, Construction, Operation and Maintenance Criteria › Article 4 - Monitoring, Operation, and Maintenance Requirements › Section 12VAC5-640-490 - Monitoring

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. Discharging
					 systems that discharge improperly treated effluent can endanger public health
					 and threaten environmental resources. All discharging systems shall be
					 routinely inspected and the effluent sampled to determine compliance with the
					 effluent limitations set forth by the State Water Control Board in the General
					 Permit and in accordance with
					 12VAC5-640-430 and
					 12VAC5-640-510. All testing
					 requirements contained in this chapter are the responsibility of the system
					 owner to have collected, analyzed, and reported to the department.
B. There are two types of testing recognized
					 by this chapter: formal compliance testing and informal (process control)
					 testing. Formal testing is conducted to determine either compliance or
					 noncompliance with the General Permit. Informal testing is conducted to assess
					 the treatment system's performance and to determine when additional formal
					 compliance testing is necessary. Informal testing may support but shall not be
					 the sole basis for revoking the approval of the system pursuant to
					 12VAC5-640-280.
C. All treatment systems shall undergo
					 startup testing to assess the ability of the system to comply with the
					 established performance requirements.
1.
					 Treatment systems are considered generally approved for the purposes of
					 establishing startup testing requirements only when all treatment components
					 (i.e., biological treatment unit, disinfection, dechlorination, post-aeration,
					 etc.) of the system are considered generally approved as described in
					 12VAC5-640-432.
2. All new
					 discharging systems shall undergo formal startup compliance testing for
					 parameters limited by the General Permit. The collection, storage,
					 transportation, and analysis of all formal compliance samples shall be in
					 accordance with the requirements of the General Permit.
a. For generally approved systems, the first
					 formal compliance testing event shall occur 45 to 90 days after the system
					 begins discharging. If the formal compliance test data indicate the system is
					 in compliance with the General Permit, then the system will revert to annual
					 formal compliance sampling in accordance with the General Permit. The initial
					 sample may be used to comply with the first annual sampling requirement. If the
					 testing data indicates that any parameter is out of compliance, subsection E of
					 this section shall apply.
b. For
					 nongenerally approved systems, the first formal compliance testing event shall
					 occur 45 to 90 days after the system begins discharging. Three additional
					 formal compliance testing events are to occur quarterly and at least 60 days
					 apart. If the four startup compliance test data indicate the system is in
					 compliance with the General Permit, then the system will revert to annual
					 formal compliance sampling in accordance with the General Permit. If the
					 testing data indicates that any parameter is out of compliance, subsection E of
					 this section shall apply.
3. Informal (process control) testing shall
					 be conducted monthly for at least six consecutive months beginning the second
					 full month after the issuance of the operation permit. After successful startup
					 of the treatment system, informal testing shall be conducted semiannually at a
					 minimum and any time formal testing is conducted. Informal testing shall be in
					 accordance with the approved operation and maintenance manual, which shall
					 include at a minimum the tests listed in Table 3.3. The specific test, sample
					 location, and frequency shall be itemized in the operation and maintenance
					 manual for the treatment system.