Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 100-199 - Environmental Protection General › Chapter NR 159 - Management Of Class B Firefighting Foam › Section NR 159.08 - Treatment and disposal

Current through June 24, 2024
A person that uses foam for testing purposes or that
				  conducts treatment or disposal of foam that was used for testing purposes may
				  employ on-site or off-site measures for treatment, disposal, or a combination
				  of treatment and disposal for foam. When implemented, appropriate treatment
				  measures render wastewater containing foam to no longer be subject to the
				  prohibition on discharge to storm or sanitary sewer under s.
				  299.48(2),
				  Stats. Treatment or disposal of foam used for testing purposes shall be
				  conducted in a manner that prevents discharge of foam to the environment and
				  shall meet all of the following requirements:
(1) TREATMENT.
(a)
Incineration or thermal
				destruction.
Incineration or thermal destruction of foam shall be
				conducted at a temperature range and residence time sufficient to destroy PFAS
				while also ensuring the maximum degree of reduction in emission of PFAS,
				including elimination of emissions of PFAS when achievable. Prior to any person
				operating an incineration or thermal destruction treatment system under this
				subsection, a person shall submit documentation to the department that
				demonstrates the incineration or thermal destruction treatment system meets all
				of the requirements of this paragraph.
Note:
Any discharge of treated foam to a
				  sanitary sewer requires the approval from the owner of the publicly owned
				  treatment works and may be subject to additional limitations. Any discharge of
				  treated foam to waters of the state, including a discharge of treated foam
				  through a storm sewer, requires Wisconsin pollutant discharge elimination
				  system permit coverage under ch. 283, Stats., and may be subject to the
				  regulations promulgated under that chapter.
(b)
Other treatment.
1. 'Best available technology.' If treatment
				other than that specified in par. (a) is proposed, the treatment shall, at a
				minimum, satisfy all of the following design and operational standards:
a. Treatment shall include preliminary
				treatment prior to granular activated carbon adsorption to remove compounds
				that may reduce adsorption capacity of granular activated carbon or interfere
				with PFAS removal. The preliminary treatment system may include clarifiers, bag
				filter units, clay filter units, or other similar treatment.
b. Following preliminary treatment under
				subd. 1.a. and prior to granular activated carbon adsorption under subd. 1. c.,
				the treatment shall include cloth filtration, ultrafiltration, or filtration of
				a finer pore size.
c. Following
				filtration under subd. 1. b., the treatment shall include a minimum of 3
				granular activated carbon adsorption units in series. Granular activated carbon
				adsorption units shall be optimized for PFAS removal. The granular activated
				carbon adsorption units shall have a cumulative minimum empty bed contact time
				of 30 minutes. The lead granular activated carbon adsorption unit's media shall
				be replaced at a frequency that allows for optimal PFAS removal but no less
				frequently than once per treatment of each 10,000 bed volumes. Following media
				replacement, the lead unit shall be moved to the lag unit position with each of
				the other units moved forward one position in the series. The granular
				activated carbon media shall be derived from bituminous coal unless the
				discharger utilizes a more frequent media replacement schedule appropriate for
				that media and receives approval under subd. 2.
d. Treatment shall include at least one
				anion-exchange resin polishing unit to remove trace PFAS compounds.
e. Sampling ports shall be provided
				immediately after each treatment unit, including between granular activated
				carbon adsorption units.
f. If any
				sludges or solids are produced during any stages of treatment, they shall be
				solidified by mixing with cementitious materials or a comparable process prior
				to disposal at a licensed solid waste facility. Sludges or solids generated
				during the treatment process may not be disposed of via land
				application.
2.
				'Alternative treatment technology.' The department may, on a case-by-case
				basis, approve an alternative treatment technology to any of the treatment,
				design, and operation requirements under subd. 1., if the applicant can
				demonstrate that the proposed alternative treatment system will achieve
				treatment equivalent to or better than a system specified under subd.1.
				Requests for approval of alternative requirements shall be made in writing and
				accompanied by written justification including performance data from pilot
				installations if requested by the department.
Note:
Alternative treatment technologies may
				  include solutions that improve upon the best available technology, existing
				  alternative systems such as reverse osmosis with treatment of reject water, or
				  modifications to the best available technology such as use of 2 granular
				  activated carbon units with tailored operation and management plans to ensure
				  prevention of breakthrough, or use of non-bituminous granular activated carbon
				  media with an appropriately adjusted minimum empty bed contact
				  time.
3. 'Treatment systems
				review.' Construction or modification of any treatment system subject to this
				paragraph requires plan review and approval prior to commencement of
				construction, in accordance with ch. NR 108 and s.
				281.41,
				Stats.
4. 'PFAS treatment.' Any
				treatment system subject to this paragraph shall be operated to minimize the
				level of PFAS substances in effluent, and a person operating a treatment system
				shall take actions under this subsection to maintain appropriate and effective
				foam treatment. Actions taken under this subsection shall be documented in
				writing, and that documentation shall be retained for at least 3 years and made
				available to the department upon request.