Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024
(a)
Adequate treatment shall be provided for all wastewater before discharge into
the waters of the State.
1. The minimum level
of sewage treatment shall be as specified by the Department in the applicable
NJPDES permit.
2. The design of the
proposed treatment system shall be adequate to meet all NPDES or NJPDES permit
requirements, and shall take into consideration the topography of the plant
site, receiving waters, operating costs and effects of any industrial waste
component.
(b) Treatment
plants shall be designed to produce an effluent which will consistently meet
the limitations specified in the applicable NPDES or NJPDES permit and be
conducive to the attainment and maintenance of such water quality criteria for
the various classifications of surface and ground waters of the
State.
(c) Siting requirements for
wastewater treatment plants are as follows:
1. Treatment plants shall be located as far
from existing or future residential structures as practical;
2. To the extent possible, the treatment
plant units shall not be situated within 500 feet of the plant property lines.
If this is not possible the Department may impose additional requirements
concerning plant design, location, landscaping and operation;
3. Treatment plants shall be raised above the
flood elevation level, or adequately flood proofed. For the purposes of this
requirement, the flood elevation level is considered to be one foot above the
100 year flood elevation for non-delineated waterways and up to the Flood
Hazard Design Flood Elevation for delineated waterways (see N.J.A.C. 7:13);
and
4. The plant layout shall be
designed for ease of operation, safety and accessibility.
(d) A suitable operating building shall be
provided meeting the following requirements:
1. The building shall be heated, ventilated
and lighted and contain an office, workshop, laboratory, storage space,
drinking water, toilet, lavatory, and shower facilities;
2. An adequate supply of water under pressure
shall be installed. Any domestic service connection shall be protected by an
approved backflow prevention device acceptable to the Department; and
3. Taps supplying non-potable water shall be
clearly labeled "Unfit for Drinking."
(e) Treatment plant sites shall be
appropriately landscaped and graded.
(f) Drains shall be installed and soil
stabilized to prevent washing into tanks, basins or filters and to prevent
erosion.
(g) The following safety
features shall be incorporated into the treatment plant design:
1. At a minimum, railings, guards, and
handrails shall be provided;
2.
Flame traps at all gas outlets, a blower and hose, and adequate ventilation of
enclosures shall be provided;
3.
Non-slip treads on stairs shall be provided;
4. Warning signs shall be posted in hazardous
locations;
5. A readily accessible
first aid kit shall be provided; and
6. The plant site shall be secure and
enclosed by a fence with lockable gates.
(h) Treatment plants shall be provided with
an adequate auxiliary source of power that is capable of maintaining the
necessary plant functions to assure compliance with the facility's NJPDES
permit.
1. When a plant is not staffed on a
24-hour basis, the auxiliary source of power shall have the ability to be
automatically activated.
2.
Emergency generators shall be tested regularly and maintained in proper working
order at all times.
(i)
An alarm system operating on an independent source of power shall be provided
for all treatment plants when 24-hour supervision is not provided.
1. The alarm system shall extend to a police
station or other location where competent 24-hour assistance can be obtained in
an emergency.
(j) All
electrical equipment work shall comply with the Fire Underwriters' regulations
and with the National Electrical Code.
(k) Adequate means shall be provided for
dewatering all treatment units for inspection and maintenance while still
maintaining NJPDES permit compliance.
(l) Piping located under plant units shall be
encased in concrete.
(m) Plant
designs which propose the use of bypass lines that would circumvent treatment
units and allow untreated or partially treated wastewater to be discharged will
not be approved by the Department. The need for such bypassing is to be
eliminated by providing adequate auxiliary treatment facilities.
(n) Treatment units should be designed for
the population and wastewater flow that is anticipated 10 years or more after
the completion of construction.
(o)
Unless accurate data justifying a lesser design are submitted and approved by
the Department, the hydraulic design of piping, channels, flumes and pumps
shall be based on not less than 250 percent of projected flow, and treatment
units shall be designed so as to provide adequate treatment to meet all NJPDES
permit effluent conditions.
1. Where
recirculation is employed, the resulting additional flow from this source shall
be considered in the design.
2.
Organic loading shall be based upon a minimum five-day B.O.D. content of 250
mg/l for domestic sewage, to which B.O.D. values for industrial wastes shall be
added. For existing sewer systems, higher B.O.D. values may be used if an
analyses based on composite samplings indicate a higher actual B.O.D.
3. For systems designed to treat wastewater
from proposed or recently constructed buildings which have been equipped with
water conservation devices or designed to be served by wastewater treatment and
recycling systems, appropriate adjustments for higher B.O.D. values and reduced
volume of wastewater should be considered in the treatment unit
design.
(p) Flow
equalization at the treatment facility is suggested in cases where the ratio of
peak (maximum instantaneous) to average daily flow exceeds 2.5.
