Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 11, August 30, 2024
An annual cropping plan shall be prepared by a Certified Crop
Advisor (CCA) to clearly show how the applicant will use the site for land
application of septage during the 365-day period. This information shall be
submitted with initial application information and updated during the permit
renewal period.
(1) The following
information is required for all annual crop management plans:
(a) Site name and location.
(b) Cropping year.
(c) Field or zone identification. Zones
should be comprised of soils in the same soil group or that have the same
management practices and/or application rates.
(c) Field or zone identification. Zones
should be comprised of soils in the same soil group or that have the same
management practices and/or application rates.
(d) Total acreage of each zone.
(e) Type of crop(s) to be grown within each
zone.
(f) Soil fertility test with
pH and nutrient recommendations for crop(s) to be grown.
(g) Realistic yield rates considering
productivity of soil type and management.
(h) Agronomic application rates for crop(s)
to be grown.
1. The annual application rate
for septage applied to agricultural land, forest land, or other non-public
contact sites shall not exceed the amount as determined by the following
formula:
AAR = N/0.0026
Where:
AAR = Annual Application Rate in gallons per acre per 365-day
period.
N = Amount of nitrogen in pounds per acre per 365-day period
required by the crop or vegetation grown on the land divided by number of crop
growing season months.
(i) In the case
of portable toilet and marine sanitation waste, which shall be pretreated in
accordance with Rule
420-3-6-.15(2)(a),
the AAR shall be determined using the formula above, with 0.015 in place of the
value 0.0026, to represent the higher concentration of nitrogen known to occur
in those wastes.
(ii) All septage,
or mixtures of septage and portable toilet and marine sanitation waste, that
meets the requirements of Rule
420-3-6-.15(2)(a),
shall be spread uniformly over the approved area of the land application
facility to ensure that no part receives waste in excess of the
AAR.
(i)
Planting/reseeding dates and harvest dates. If forage crops are grown, the
months of growing season for each crop should be indicated (cool season versus
warm season grasses). See
420-3-6-.15 for harvest
restrictions.
(j) Beginning and end
period of septage application.
(k)
Sources of nutrients other than septage that will be applied.
(l) Proposed period of grazing of forage
crops. See
420-3-6-.15 for grazing
restrictions.
(2) The pH
of the soil shall be maintained at a pH level amenable for growing the cover
crop(s).
(3) The pH shall be
measured by annual soil test and reported in the annual cropping
plan.
(4) Annual soil testing shall
be conducted to determine levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead,
mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc.
(a) No
person shall land apply septage to a site that exceeds the annual pollutant
loading rate in Table 4 for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury,
nickel, selenium, and zinc.
(b) No
person shall land apply septage to a site that exceeds the cumulative pollutant
loading rate in Table 4 for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury,
nickel, selenium, and zinc.
Author: Thad Pittman, Richard Smith, Boyd
Rogers
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
1975, §§
22-2-2(6),
22-10-1 et seq., 22-20-5, 22-26-1,
22-26-2, 22-26-3.
