(a) Purpose and Policy.
(1) This chapter sets forth uniform requirements for Users of the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) in the County or serving the County, and enables the County to comply with all applicable State and Federal laws, including the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. section 1251 et seq.) and the General Pretreatment Regulations (Title 40 CFR Part 403). The objectives of this chapter are:
A. To prevent the introduction of pollutants into the Publicly Owned Treatment Works that will interfere with its operation;
B To prevent the introduction of pollutants into the Publicly Owned Treatment Works that will pass through the Publicly Owned Treatment Works, inadequately treated, into receiving waters, or otherwise be incompatible with the Publicly Owned Treatment Works;
C. To protect both Publicly Owned Treatment Works personnel who may be affected by wastewater and sludge in the course of their employment and the general public;
D. To promote reuse and recycling of industrial wastewater and sludge from the Publicly Owned Treatment Works;
E. To provide for fees for the equitable distribution of the cost of operation, maintenance, and improvement of the Publicly Owned Treatment Works; and
F. To enable the County to comply with its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit conditions, sludge use and disposal requirements, and any other Federal or State laws to which the Publicly Owned Treatment Works is subject.
(2) Applicability. This chapter shall apply to all Users of the Publicly Owned Treatment Works and apply to persons in the County and to persons outside the County who are, by contract or agreement with the County or the Sanitation Authority, Users of the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant, Broad Run WRF, or any County or Sanitation Authority owned treatment plant. The chapter authorizes the issuance of individual wastewater discharge permits and/or when applicable general permits; provides for monitoring, compliance, and enforcement activities; establishes administrative review procedures; requires User reporting; and provides for the setting of fees for the equitable distribution of costs resulting from the program established herein.
(b) Administration. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Superintendent shall administer, implement, and enforce the provisions of this chapter. Any powers granted to or duties imposed upon the Superintendent may be delegated by the Superintendent to a duly authorized County employee.
(c) Abbreviations. The following abbreviations, when used in this chapter, shall have the designated meanings:
BOD - Biochemical Oxygen Demand
BMP - Best Management Practice
BMR - Baseline Monitoring Report
CFR - Code of Federal Regulations
CIU - Categorical Industrial User
COD - Chemical Oxygen Demand
EPA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
gpd - gallons per day
IU - Industrial User
mg/l - milligrams per liter
NPDES - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NSCIU - Non-Significant Categorical Industrial User
POTW - Publicly Owned Treatment Works
RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
SIU - Significant Industrial User
SNC - Significant Noncompliance
TSS - Total Suspended Solids
U.S.C. - United States Code
(d) Definitions. Unless a provision explicitly states otherwise, the following terms and phrases, as used in this chapter, shall have the meanings hereinafter designated.
(1) "Act" or "the Act." The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. section 1251 et seq.
(2) "Approval Authority" within the County means the Director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; for the purposes of the part of the system that goes to Blue Plains the EPA is the approval authority.
(3) "Authorized or Duly Authorized Representative of the User."
A. If the User is a corporation:
1. The president, secretary, treasurer, or a vice-president of the corporation in charge of a principal business function, or any other person who performs similar policy or decision-making functions for the corporation; or
2. The manager of one or more manufacturing, production, or operating facilities, provided the manager is authorized to make management decisions that govern the operation of the regulated facility including having the explicit or implicit duty of making major capital investment recommendations, and initiate and direct other comprehensive measures to assure long-term environmental compliance with environmental laws and regulations; can ensure that the necessary systems are established or actions taken to gather complete and accurate information for individual wastewater discharge permit or general permit requirements; and where authority to sign documents has been assigned or delegated to the manager in accordance with corporate procedures.
B. If the User is a partnership or sole proprietorship: a general partner or proprietor, respectively:
C. If the User is a Federal, State, or local governmental facility: a director or highest official appointed or designated to oversee the operation and performance of the activities of the government facility, or their designee.
D. The individuals described in paragraphs A. through C., above, may designate a Duly Authorized Representative if the authorization is in writing, the authorization specifies the individual or position responsible for the overall operation of the facility from which the discharge originates or having overall responsibility for environmental matters for the company, and the written authorization is submitted to the County on a form to be supplied by the Superintendent.
(4) "Best Management Practices" or "BMPs." schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to implement the prohibitions listed in Section 1068.02
(b)(1) and (2), 40 CFR 403.5(a)(1) and (b). BMPs include treatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw materials storage.
(5) "Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant." A wastewater treatment plant located in the District of Columbia which provides service to certain Users located in the County.
(6) "Biochemical Oxygen Demand" or "BOD." The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedures for five (5) days at 20 degrees centigrade, usually expressed as a concentration (e.g., mg/l).
(7) "Building sewer." A sewer conveying wastewater from the premises of a user to a publicly owned treatment works (POTW).
(8) "Categorical Pretreatment Standard" or "Categorical Standard." Any regulation containing pollutant discharge limits promulgated by EPA in accordance with sections 307(b) and (c) of the Act (33 U.S.C. section 1317) that apply to a specific category of Users and that appear in 40 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter N, Parts 405-471.
(9) "Categorical Industrial User" or "CIU." An Industrial User subject to a categorical Pretreatment Standard or categorical Standard.
(10) "County." Loudoun County, Virginia and the Board of Supervisors of Loudoun County, Virginia, as applicable.
(11) "Chemical Oxygen Demand" or "COD." A measure of the oxygen required to oxidize all compounds, both organic and inorganic, in water.
(12) "Control Authority." The Loudoun County Sanitation Authority, a body politic and corporate.
(13) "Cooling water." The water discharged from any use, such as air conditioning, cooling or refrigeration, to which the only pollutant added is heat.
(14) "Daily Discharge." The arithmetic average of all effluent samples for a pollutant collected during a calendar day or a 24 hour period.
(15) "Daily Maximum" or "Daily Maximum Limit." The maximum allowable discharge limit of a pollutant during a day which may be a calendar day or a 24 hour period. Where Daily Maximum Limits are expressed in units of mass, the daily discharge is the total mass discharged over the course of the day. Where Daily Maximum Limits are expressed in terms of a concentration, the daily discharge is the arithmetic average measurement of the pollutant concentration derived from all measurements taken that day.
(16) "Environmental Protection Agency" or "EPA." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or, where appropriate, the Regional Water Management Division Director, the Regional Administrator, or other duly authorized official of said agency.
(17) "Existing Source." Any source of discharge that is not a "New Source."
(18) "Grab Sample." A sample that is taken from a wastestream without regard to the flow in the wastestream and over a period of time not to exceed fifteen (15) minutes.
(19) "Indirect Discharge" or "Discharge." The introduction of pollutants into the POTW from any nondomestic source.
(20) "Industrial User" or "User." A source of indirect discharge.
(21) "Instantaneous Limit." The maximum concentration of a pollutant allowed to be discharged at any time, determined from the analysis of any discrete or composited sample collected, independent of the industrial flow rate and the duration of the sampling event.
(22) "Interference." A discharge that, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, inhibits or disrupts the POTW, its treatment processes or operations or its sludge processes, use or disposal; and therefore, is a cause of a violation of Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant, Broad Run WRF, or any County or Sanitation Authority owned or operated treatment plant NPDES permit(s) or of the prevention of sewage sludge use or disposal in compliance with any of the following statutory/regulatory provisions or permits issued there under, or any more stringent State or local regulations: Section 405 of the Act; the Solid Waste Disposal Act, including Title II commonly referred to as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); any State regulations contained in any State Sludge Management Plan prepared pursuant to Subtitle D of the Solid Waste Disposal Act; the Clean Air Act; the Toxic Substances Control Act; and the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act.
(23) "Local Limit." Specific discharge limits developed and enforced by the County upon industrial or commercial facilities to implement the general and specific discharge prohibitions listed in 40 CFR 403.5(a)(1) and (b).
(24) "Medical Waste." Isolation wastes, infectious agents, human blood and blood products, pathological wastes, sharps, body parts, contaminated bedding, surgical wastes, potentially contaminated laboratory wastes, and dialysis wastes.
(25) "Monthly Average." The sum of all "daily discharges" measured during a calendar month divided by the number of "daily discharges" measured during that month.
(26) "Monthly Average Limit." The highest allowable average of "daily discharges" over a calendar month, calculated as the sum of all "daily discharges" measured during a calendar month divided by the number of "daily discharges" measured during that month.
(27) "New Source."
A. Any building, structure, facility, or installation from which there is (or may be) a discharge of pollutants, the construction of which commenced after the publication of proposed Pretreatment Standards under section 307(c) of the Act that will be applicable to such source if such Standards are thereafter promulgated in accordance with that section, provided that:
1. The building, structure, facility, or installation is constructed at a site at which no other source is located; or
2. The building, structure, facility, or installation totally replaces the process or production equipment that causes the discharge of pollutants at an Existing Source; or
3. The production or wastewater generating processes of the building, structure, facility, or installation are substantially independent of an Existing Source at the same site. In determining whether these are substantially independent, factors such as the extent to which the new facility is integrated with the existing plant, and the extent to which the new facility is engaged in the same general type of activity as the Existing Source, should be considered.
B. Construction on a site at which an Existing Source is located results in a modification rather than a New Source if the construction does not create a new building, structure, facility, or installation meeting the criteria of Section A.2. or 3. above but otherwise alters, replaces, or adds to existing process or production equipment.
C. Construction of a New Source as defined under this paragraph has commenced if the owner or operator has:
1. Begun, or caused to begin, as part of a continuous onsite construction program:
a. Any placement, assembly, or installation of facilities or equipment; or
b. Significant site preparation work including clearing, excavation, or removal of existing buildings, structures, or facilities which is necessary for the placement, assembly, or installation of new source facilities or equipment; or
2. Entered into a binding contractual obligation for the purchase of facilities or equipment which are intended to be used in its operation within a reasonable time. Options to purchase or contracts which can be terminated or modified without substantial loss, and contracts for feasibility, engineering, and design studies do not constitute a contractual obligation under this paragraph.
(28) “Noncontact Cooling Water." Water used for cooling that does not come into direct contact with any raw material, intermediate product, waste product, or finished product.
(29) "Pass Through." A discharge which exits the POTW into waters of the United States in quantities or concentrations which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, is a cause of a violation of any requirement of the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant, Broad Run WRF, or any County or Sanitation Authority owned or operated treatment plant's NPDES permit(s), including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation.
(30) "Person." Any individual, partnership, co-partnership, firm, company, corporation, association, joint stock company, trust, estate, governmental entity, or any other legal entity; or their legal representatives, agents, or assigns. This definition includes all Federal, State, and local governmental entities. The masculine gender shall include the feminine, and the singular shall include the plural where indicated by the context.
(31) "pH." The negative logarithm (base ten) of the hydrogen ion concentration expressed in moles per liter of solution. pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, expressed in standard units.
(32) "Pollutant." Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, Medical Wastes, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, municipal, agricultural and industrial wastes, and certain characteristics of wastewater (e.g., pH, temperature, TSS, turbidity, color, BOD, COD, toxicity, or odor).
(33) "Pretreatment." The reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater prior to, or in lieu of, introducing such pollutants into the POTW. This reduction or alteration can be obtained by physical, chemical, or biological processes; by process changes; or by other means, except by diluting the concentration of the pollutants unless allowed by an applicable Pretreatment Standard.
(34) "Pretreatment Requirements." Any substantive or procedural requirement related to pretreatment imposed on a User, other than a Pretreatment Standard.
(35) "Pretreatment Standards" or "Standards." Pretreatment Standards shall mean prohibited discharge standards, categorical Pretreatment Standards, and Local Limits.
(36) "Prohibited Discharge Standards" or "Prohibited Discharges." Absolute prohibitions against the discharge of certain substances; these prohibitions appear in Section 1068.02
(b) of this chapter.
(37) "Publicly owned treatment works" or "POTW." A treatment works, as defined by Section 212 of the Act (33 U.S.C 1292), whether owned by the County or an authority which serves the County or of which the County is a member. This definition includes any sewers that convey wastewater to a POTW treatment plant, but does not include pipes, sewers or other conveyances not directly or indirectly connected to a facility providing treatment. This definition specifically includes sewers located in the County which convey wastewater to the users of the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant, Broad Run WRF, or any County or Sanitation Authority owned treatment plant. This definition specifically excludes treatment works owned by an incorporated town in the County. "POTW" also includes any sewers that convey wastewaters to the POTW from persons outside the County who are, by contract or agreement with the County or Sanitation Authority, Users of the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant, Broad Run WRF, or any County or Sanitation Authority owned treatment plant. "POTW" also refers to the governing body of a POTW and the authorized agents, officers and representatives thereof.
(38) "Sanitation Authority." The Loudoun County Sanitation Authority, a body politic and corporate, also doing business as Loudoun Water.
(39) "Septic Tank Waste." Any sewage from holding tanks such as vessels, chemical toilets, campers, trailers, and septic tanks.
(40) "Sewage." Human excrement and gray water (household showers, dishwashing operations, etc.).
(41) "Shall" is mandatory; "may" is permissive.
(42) "Significant Industrial User" or "SIU". Except as provided in paragraphs C. and D. of this Section, a Significant Industrial User is:
A. An Industrial User subject to categorical Pretreatment Standards; or
B. An Industrial User that:
1. Discharges an average of twenty-five thousand (25,000) gpd or more of process wastewater to the POTW system (excluding sanitary, noncontact cooling and boiler blowdown wastewater);
2. Contributes a process wastestream which makes up five (5) percent or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the POTW treatment plant which principally receives the discharged process wastestream; or
3. Is designated as such by the Sanitation Authority on the basis that it has a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the POTW system's operation or for violating any Pretreatment Standard or Requirement.
C. The County or Sanitation Authority may determine that an Industrial User subject to categorical Pretreatment Standards is a Non-Significant Categorical Industrial User rather than a Significant Industrial User on a finding that the Industrial User never discharges more than 100 gallons per day (gpd) of total categorical wastewater (excluding sanitary, non-contact cooling and boiler blowdown wastewater, unless specifically included in the Pretreatment Standard) and the following conditions are met:
1. The Industrial User, prior to County or Sanitation Authority finding, has consistently complied with all applicable categorical Pretreatment Standards and Requirements;
2. The Industrial User annually submits the certification statement required in Section 1068.06(n)(2) see 40 CFR 403.12(q), together with any additional information necessary to support the certification statement; and
3. The Industrial User never discharges any untreated concentrated wastewater.
D. Upon a finding that a User meeting the criteria in Subsection B. of this part has no reasonable potential for adversely affecting the POTW's operation or for violating any Pretreatment Standard or Requirement, the County or Sanitation Authority may at any time, on its own initiative or in response to a petition received from an Industrial User, and in accordance with procedures in 40 CFR 403.8(f)(6), determine that such User should not be considered a Significant Industrial User.
(43) "Slug Load" or "Slug Discharge." Any discharge at a flow rate or concentration, which could cause a violation of the prohibited discharge standards in Section 1068.02
(b) of this Chapter. A "Slug Discharge" is any discharge of a non-routine, episodic nature, including but not limited to an accidental spill or a non-customary batch discharge, which has a reasonable potential to cause Interference or Pass Through, or in any other way violate the POTW's regulations, Local Limits or Permit conditions.
(44) "Storm Water." Any flow occurring during or following any form of natural precipitation, and resulting from such precipitation, including snowmelt.
(45) "Superintendent." The General Manager of the Loudoun County Sanitation Authority or his or her duly authorized representative.
(46) "Total Suspended Solids" or "Suspended Solids." The total suspended matter that floats on the surface of, or is suspended in, water, wastewater, or other liquid, and that is removable by laboratory filtering.
(47) "User" or "Industrial User.” A source of indirect discharge.
(48) "Wastewater." Liquid and water-carried industrial wastes and sewage from residential dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial and manufacturing facilities, and institutions, whether treated or untreated, which are contributed to the POTW. Wastewater includes all other sources of inflow to the treatment plant.
(49) "Wastewater Treatment Plant" or "Treatment Plant." That portion of the POTW which is designed to provide treatment of wastewater for pollution abatement prior to discharge to the environment.
(Ord. 14-03. Passed 3-5-14.)