Washington Administrative Code › Title 173 - Ecology, Department of (See also Titles 197, 317, 372, and 508) › Chapter 173-204 - Sediment management standards › Part IV - SEDIMENT SOURCE CONTROL › Section 173-204-412 - Marine finfish rearing facilities

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) Purpose. This section sets forth the
				applicability of this chapter to marine finfish rearing facilities only. This
				section also identifies marine finfish rearing facility siting, operation,
				closure and monitoring requirements to meet the intent of this chapter, as
				applicable.
(2) Applicability.
				Marine finfish rearing facilities and their associated discharges are not
				subject to the authority and purpose standards of WAC
				173-204-100(3) and
				(7), and the marine sediment quality
				standards of WAC
				173-204-320 and the sediment
				impact zone maximum criteria of WAC
				173-204-420, within and including
				the distance of one hundred feet from the outer edge of the marine finfish
				rearing facility structure. Marine finfish rearing facilities are not subject
				to the sediment impact zone standards of WAC
				173-204-415.
(3) Sediment monitoring. Sediment quality
				compliance and monitoring requirements for marine finfish rearing facilities
				shall be addressed through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System or
				other permits issued by the department for facility operation. Marine finfish
				rearing facilities shall meet the following sediment quality monitoring
				requirements:
(a) Any person with a new
				facility shall identify a baseline sediment quality prior to facility operation
				for benthic infaunal abundance, total organic carbon and grain size in the
				location of the proposed operation and downcurrent areas that may be
				potentially impacted by the facility discharge;
(b) Any person with an existing operating
				facility shall monitor sediment quality for total organic carbon levels and
				identify the location of any sediments in the area of the facility
				statistically different (t test, p <= 0.05) from the total organic carbon
				levels identified as facility baseline levels or statistically different from
				the applicable total organic carbon levels as identified in Table 1:
TABLE 1 - Puget Sound Reference Total Organic
								Carbon Values
Silt-Clay Particles (percent Dry Weight)
Total Organic Carbon (percent Dry Weight)
0-20
0.5
20-50
1.7
50-80
3.2
80-100
2.6
(c)
				The locations and frequency of monitoring for total organic carbon, benthic
				infaunal abundance and other parameters shall be determined by the department
				and identified in the applicable National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
				System permit;
(d) Antibacterials.
				Reserved: The department shall determine on a case-by-case basis the methods,
				procedure, locations, and frequency for monitoring antibacterials associated
				with the discharge from a marine finfish rearing facility;
(e) Closure. All permitted marine finfish
				rearing facilities shall monitor sediments impacted during facility operation
				to document recovery of sediment quality to background levels. The department
				shall determine on a case-by-case basis the methods, procedure, locations, and
				frequency for monitoring sediments after facility closure.