R18-9-B201. General Considerations and Prohibitions

A. Applicability. The requirements in this Article apply to all sewage treatment facilities, including expansions of existing sewage treatment facilities, that treat wastewater containing sewage, unless the discharge is authorized by a general permit under Article 3 of this Chapter. B. The Director may specify alert levels, discharge limitations, design specifications, and operation and maintenance requirements in the permit that are based upon information provided by the applicant and that meet the requirements under A.R.S. § 49-243(B)(1). C. The permittee shall ensure that a sewage treatment facility is operated by a person certified under 18 A.A.C. 5, Article 1, for the grade of the facility. D. Operation and maintenance. 1. The owner or operator shall maintain, at the sewage treatment facility, an operation and maintenance manual for the facility and shall update the manual as needed. 2. The owner or operator shall use the operation and maintenance manual to guide facility operations to ensure compliance with the terms of the Aquifer Protection Permit and to prevent any environmental nuisance described under A.R.S. § 49-141(A). 3. The Director may specify adherence to any operation or maintenance requirement as an Aquifer Protection Permit condition to ensure that the terms of the Aquifer Protection Permit are met. 4. The owner or operator shall make the operation and maintenance manual available to the Department upon request. E. A person shall not create or maintain a connection between any part of a sewage treatment facility and a potable water supply so that sewage or wastewater contaminates a potable or public water supply. A person may only create and maintain a connection between sewage treatment facilities, advanced water treatment facilities, and a potable water supply under an Advanced Water Purification permit issued pursuant to Article 8 of this Chapter. F. A person shall not bypass or release sewage or partially treated sewage that has not completed the treatment process from a sewage treatment facility. G. Reclaimed water dispensed to a direct reuse site from a sewage treatment facility is regulated under Reclaimed Water Quality Standards in 18 A.A.C. 11, Article 3. H. The preparation, transport, or land application of any biosolids generated by a sewage treatment facility is regulated under 18 A.A.C. 9, Article 10. I. The owner or operator of a sewage treatment facility that is a new facility or undergoing a major modification shall provide setbacks established in the following table. Setbacks are measured from the noise or odor-producing treatment and disposal components within the sewage treatment facility to the nearest property line of an adjacent dwelling, workplace, or private property. If an owner or operator cannot meet a setback for a facility undergoing a major modification that incorporates full noise, odor, and aesthetic controls, the owner or operator shall not further encroach into setback distances existing before the major modification except as allowed in subsection (I)(2). Minimum Setback Distance (feet) No Noise, Full Noise, Sewage Treatment Facility Odor, or Aesthetic Odor, and Design Flow (gallons per day) Aesthetic Controls 3000 to less than 24,000 250 25 24,000 to less than 100,000 350 50 100,000 to less than 500,000 500 100 500,000 to less than 1,000,000 750 250 1,000,000 or greater 1000 350 Controls 1. Full noise, odor, and aesthetic controls means that: a. Noise due to the sewage treatment facility does not exceed 50 decibels at the facility property boundary on the A network of a sound level meter or a level established in a local noise ordinance, b. All odor-producing components of the sewage treatment facility are fully enclosed, c. Odor scrubbers or other odor-control devices are installed on all vents, and d. Fencing aesthetically matched to the area surrounding the facility. 2. The owner or operator of a sewage treatment facility undergoing a major modification may decrease setbacks if: a. Allowed by local ordinance; or b. Setback waivers are obtained from affected property owners in which the property owner acknowledges awareness of the established setbacks, basic design of the sewage treatment facility, and the potential for noise and odor. J. The owner or operator of a sewage treatment facility shall not operate the facility so that it emits an offensive odor on a persistent basis beyond the setback distances specified in subsection (I).