No. 27969 (Amendment): R309-215. Monitoring and Water Quality: Treatment Plant Monitoring Requirements

DAR File No.: 27969
Filed: 06/01/2005, 04:51
Received by: NL

 

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

This rule change is to address the changes required by the federal Arsenic and Filter Backwash Recycling regulations. There are a total of eight rule filings that address these two regulations (R309-105, R309-110, R309-200, R309-205, R309-215, R309-220, R309-505, and R309-535). This rule adoption is necessary to maintain primacy. (DAR NOTE: The proposed amendments to: R309-105 is under DAR No. 27959, R309-110 is under DAR No. 27960, R309-200 is under DAR No. 27961, R309-205 is under DAR No. 27967, R309-215 is under DAR No. 27969, R309-220 is under DAR No. 27962, R309-505 is under DAR No. 27963, and R309-535 is under DAR No. 27965 in this issue.)

 

Summary of the rule or change:

The changes address the monitoring and reporting requirements if arsenic treatment is installed or if filter backwash water is recycled.

 

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

Section 19-4-104; amd Title XIV, Section 1419

 

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

Costs for the state budget, local governments, and other persons will be based as an aggregate for the changes in Rules R309-105, R309-110, R309-200, R309-205, R309-215, R309-220, R309-505, and R309-535. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates state costs for the arsenic rule to be $1,000,000 annually. Using the percentage of Utah systems potentially affected, Utah's annual impact is approximately $45,000 to $50,000.

 

local governments:

For this aggregate rule change, costs will vary by water system size, sources utilized, and treatment applied. EPA estimates the total national annual cost at $180,000,000 for 2,387 community water systems. Utah has approximately 108 public water system potentially affected by this rule. The approximate annual cost of treatment to comply with this rule for Utah public water systems is $8,144,000. Individual system cost will range from $6,500 to $1,340,000 annually.

 

other persons:

Other persons that own and operate a public water system may have the same cost impact as listed under "local government" above. Costs to consumers will vary depending upon water system size, EPA estimates the cost to vary from $1 to $327 per household per year.

 

Compliance costs for affected persons:

Compliance costs for this aggregate rule change will vary depending upon the water system size, type of source, and type of treatment. EPA estimates the cost to vary from $1 to $327 per household per year. The highest costs are associated with the very small public water systems where there are very few connections to spread the cost of treatment across. In these cases, these rule changes will also allow for point-of-use treatment technology and will reduce the cost significantly in some cases.

 

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

The Department of Environmental Quality agrees with the comments in the cost and compliance summaries above. Dianne R. Nielson, Executive Director

 

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Division of Administrative Rules, or at:

Environmental Quality
Drinking Water
150 N 1950 W
SALT LAKE CITY UT 84116-3085

 

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

Patti Fauver or Ken Bousfield at the above address, by phone at 801-536-4196 or 801-536-4207, by FAX at 801-536-4211 or 801-536-4211, or by Internet E-mail at [e-mail] or [e-mail]

 

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

07/15/2005

 

This rule may become effective on:

07/16/2005

 

Authorized by:

Kevin Brown, Director

 

 

RULE TEXT

R309. Environmental Quality, Drinking Water.

R309-215. Monitoring and Water Quality: Treatment Plant Monitoring Requirements.

R309-215-6. Monitoring Requirements for Miscellaneous Treatment Plants.

(1) Treatment of the drinking water may be required for other than inactivation of microbial contaminants or removal/inactivation of pathogens and viruses. Miscellaneous treatment methods are outlined in R309-535.[General: Treatment of drinking water may be required for other than inactivation of microbial contaminants indicated above or removal/inactivation of pathogens and viruses as indicated below. For miscellaneous treatment methods indicated in R309-535, the Executive Secretary may require monitoring and reporting. If required, report forms will be provided by the Division.]

(2) The Executive Secretary may require additional monitoring as necessary to evaluate the treatment process and to ensure the quality of the water. The specific analytes, frequency of monitoring, the reporting frequency and the sampling location for which monitoring may be required shall be determined by the following:

(a) the contaminant of concern for which the treatment process has been installed;

(b) the process control samples required to operate treatment process being used; and

(c) alternative surrogate sampling when it is either quicker or less expensive and still provides the necessary information;

(3) For point-of-use or point-of-entry technology the location of sampling may be at each treatment unit spread out over time.

(4) If monitoring is required, the Executive Secretary shall provide the report forms and the water system shall report the data as required by R309-105-16(3). Alternate forms may be used as long as prior approval from the Executive Secretary is obtained.

 

R309-215-7. Surface Water Treatment Evaluations.

(1) General: Surface water sources or groundwater sources under direct influence of surface water shall be disinfected during the course of required surface water treatment. Disinfection shall not be considered a substitute for inadequate collection facilities. All public water systems which use a treatment technique to treat water obtained in whole or in part from surface water sources or ground water sources under the direct influence of surface water shall monitor the plant's operation and report the results to the Division as indicated in R309-215-7 through R309-215-14. Individual plants will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria outlined in paragraph (2) below. Based on information submitted and/or plant inspections, the plant will receive credit for treatment techniques other than disinfection that remove pathogens, specifically Giardia lamblia and viruses. This credit (log removal) will reduce the required disinfectant "CT" value which the plant shall maintain to assure compliance with R309-200-5(7)(a)(i).

(2) Criteria for Individual Treatment Plant Evaluation: New and existing water treatment plants shall meet specified monitoring and performance criteria in order to ensure that filtration and disinfection are satisfactorily practiced. The monitoring requirements and performance criteria for turbidity and disinfection listed above provide the minimum for the Division to evaluate the plant's efficiency in removing and/or inactivating 99.9 percent (3-log) of Giardia lamblia cysts and 99.99 percent (4-log) of viruses as required by R309-505-6(2)(a) and (b).

(3) The Division, upon evaluation of individual raw water sources, surface water or ground water under the direct influence of surface water, may require greater than the 3-log, 4-log removal/inactivation of Giardia and viruses respectfully. If a raw water source exhibits an estimated concentration of 1 to 10 Giardia cysts per 100 liters, 4 and 5-log removal/inactivation may be required. If the raw water exhibits a concentration of 10 to 100 cysts per 100 liters, 5 and 6-log removal/inactivation may be required.

If a plant decides to recycle any spent filter backwash water, thickener supernatant, or liquids from dewatering processes the Division shall be notified in writing by December 8, 2003 or prior to recycling such waters. Such notification shall include, at a minimum:

(a) A plant schematic showing the origin of all flows which are recycled (including, but not limited to, spent filter backwash water, thickener supernatant, and any liquids from dewatering processes), the hydraulic conveyance used to transport them, and the location where they are reintroduced back into the treatment plant.

(b) Typical recycle flow in gallons per minute (gpm), the highest observed plant flow experienced in the previous year (gpm), design flow for the treatment plant (gpm), and Division approved operating capacity for the plant where the Division has made such determinations.

(c) Treatment technique (TT) requirement. Any system that recycles spent filter backwash water, thickener supernatant, or liquids from dewatering processes shall return these flows through the processes of a system's existing conventional or direct filtration system as defined in R309-525 or R309-530 or at an alternate location approved by the Division by or after June 8, 2004. If capital improvements are required to modify the recycle location to meet this requirement, all capital improvements must be completed no later than June 8, 2006.

(4) The Division, upon individual plant evaluation, may assign the treatment techniques (coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and filtration) credit toward removal of Giardia cysts and viruses. The greater the number of barriers in the treatment process, the greater the reduction of pathogens, therefore lessor credit will be given to processes such as direct filtration which eliminate one or more conventional barriers. Plants may monitor turbidity at multiple points in the treatment process as evidence of the performance of an individual treatment technique.

(5) The nominal credit that will be assigned certain conventional processes are outlined in Table 215-1:

 

TABLE 215-1
CONVENTIONAL PROCESS CREDIT

                                Log Reduction Credit

     Process                    Giardia         Viruses



     Conventional Complete

     Treatment                    2.5              2.0

     Direct Filtration            2.0              1.0

     Slow Sand Filtration         2.0              2.0

     Diatomaceous Earth Filters   2.0              1.0

 

(6) Upon evaluation of information provided by individual plants or obtained during inspections by Division staff, the Division may increase or decrease the nominal credit assigned individual plants based on that evaluation.

(a) Items which would augment the treatment process and thereby warrant increased credit are:

(i) facilities or means to moderate extreme fluctuations in raw water characteristics;

(ii) sufficient on-site laboratory facilities regularly used to alert operators to changes in raw water quality;

(iii) use of pilot stream facilities which duplicate treatment conditions but allow operators to know results of adjustments much sooner than if only monitoring plant effluent;

(iv) use of additional monitoring methods such as particle size and distribution analysis to achieve greater efficiency in particulate removal;

(v) regular program for preventive maintenance, records of such, and general good housekeeping; or

(vi) adequate staff of well trained and certified plant operators.

(b) Items which would be considered a detriment to the treatment process and thereby warrant decreased credit are:

(i) inadequate staff of trained and certified operators;

(ii) lack of regular maintenance and poor housekeeping; or

(iii) insufficient on-site laboratory facilities.

 

R309-215-8. Surface Water Treatment Plant Monitoring and Reporting.

Treatment plant management shall report the following to the Division within ten days after the end of each month that the system serves water to the public, except as otherwise noted:

(1) For each day;

(a) if the plant treats water from multiple sources, the sources being utilized (including recycled backwash water) and the ratio for each if blending occurs.

(b) the total volume of water treated by the plant,

(c) the turbidity of the raw water entering the plant,

(d) the pH of the effluent water, measured at or near the monitoring point for disinfectant residual,

(e) the temperature of the effluent water, measured at or near the monitoring point for disinfectant residual,

(f) the type and amount of chemicals used in the treatment process (clearly indicating the weight and active percent of chemical if dry feeders are used, or the percent solution and volume fed if liquid feeders are used),

(g) the high and low temperature and weather conditions (local forecast information may be used, but any precipitation in the watershed should be further described as light, moderate, heavy, or extremely heavy), and

(h) the results of any "jar tests" conducted that day

(2) For each filter, each day;

(a) the rate of water applied to each (gpm/sq.ft.),

(b) the head loss across each (feet of water or psi),

(c) length of backwash (if conducted; in minutes), and

(d) hours of operation since last backwashed.

(3) Annually; certify in writing as required by R309-105-14(1) that when a product containing acrylamide and/or epichlorohydrin is used, the combination of the amount of residual monomer in the polymer and the dosage rate does not exceed the levels specified as follows:

(a) Acrylamide: 0.05%, when dosed at 1 part per million, and

(b) Epichlorohydrin: 0.01%, when dosed at 20 parts per million.

Certification may rely on manufacturers data.

(4) Additional record-keeping for plants that recycle.

The system must collect and retain on file recycle flow information for review and evaluation by the Division beginning June 8, 2004 or upon approval for recycling. As a minimum the following shall be maintained:

(a) Copy of the recycle notification and information submitted to the Division under R309-215-7(3).

(b) List of all recycle flows and the frequency with which they are returned.

(c) Average and maximum backwash flow rates through the filters and the average and maximum duration of the filter backwash process in minutes.

(d) Typical filter run length and a written summary of how filter run length is determined.

(e) The type of treatment provided for the recycle flow.

(f) Data on the physical dimensions of the equalization and/or treatment units, typical and maximum hydraulic loading rates, type of treatment chemicals used, average dose, frequency of use and frequency at which solids are removed, if applicable.

 

KEY: drinking water, surface water treatment plant monitoring, disinfection monitoring, compliance determinations

[December 9, 2002]2005

19-4-104

63-46b-4