Land Application Requirements

Land Application Requirements. A. (1) Except as provided for in Rule 1.1.B, an individual permit or a certificate of coverage of a general permit is required for the operation of a land application site. An individual permit or certificate of coverage under any applicable general permit must be issued prior to the receipt of any waste. (2) An applicant for a new land application site shall complete an application for coverage under any applicable general permit or for an individual permit on forms provided by the Department. Such submittal shall demonstrate that the facility will comply with all applicable requirements of Rules 1.2, 1.3, and 1.8 of these regulations and the terms and conditions of a general permit or an individual permit. (3) Owners of existing land application sites, which have been issued an individual permit, may request that their permit be revoked and that they be issued a certificate of coverage under any applicable general permit. Likewise, owners of existing land application sites, which have been previously issued a certificate of coverage under a general permit, may request that their certificate of coverage be revoked and that they be issued an individual permit. B. No waste shall be placed on saturated grounds. Saturation may be determined by digging a hole one-foot deep at the lowest point of the ground and observing for 30 minutes. If water appears in the hole, the soil is considered to be saturated. C. Land application sites shall be located in a hydrologic section where the historic high water table is at a safe depth below the zone of incorporation. D. The application area shall be located a minimum of 300 feet from any inhabited building unless the applicant can justify otherwise. Furthermore, the Department may require larger buffer zones when circumstances warrant. E. Land application of wastes shall be conducted by incorporation into the soil, by injection below the land surface, or by other appropriate means of application, as approved by the Department. Incorporation should normally be accomplished by applying the wastes uniformly and disking or plowing until the waste is adequately turned under the soil or thoroughly mixed with the soil. Incorporation shall be accomplished during or immediately following application. F. Wastes which contain significant amounts of nitrogen shall be applied at an agronomic rate not to exceed the plant available nitrogen levels specified in Table 1 of this rule, unless data can be presented to justify otherwise. G. The soil pH shall be maintained at or above 6.5 unless otherwise authorized by the Department. H. The annual loading rate for cadmium shall not exceed 0.45 pounds/acre/year. I. The cumulative (life-time) application of pollutants shall not exceed the levels specified in Table 2 of this rule or where applicable, the levels specified in 40 CFR 503. J. In addition to the requirements in these regulations, land application of sewage sludge must be conducted in a manner which complies with 40 CFR 503 - Standards for the Use and Disposal of Sewage Sludge, which are incorporated herein and adopted by reference. K. Where sewage sludge is applied to public contact sites, access to the facility shall be controlled to restrict unauthorized personnel during operation and for at least 12 months following final application. L. Where sludge is applied, grazing by animals shall be restricted during operation and for 30 days thereafter. M. Prior to land application, sewage sludges and other pathogen-containing sludges shall be treated by a process to significantly reduce pathogens (PSRP) or by a process to further reduce pathogens (PFRP). The PSRP’s and PFRP’s are listed in Table 3 of this rule. N. Where sludge is applied, no crops that will be consumed raw by humans shall be planted until at least 18 months have passed from the date of the last application. For all other crops grown for indirect human consumption, at least 30 days shall pass between the date of the last application and the date the crop is planted. O. Limitations may be placed on the loading rates of other contaminants when necessary to protect the environment and public health. P. Where the permit applicant and the solid waste generator are not the same person, the generator shall be responsible for ensuring that the waste characteristics are compatible with a safe disposal operation. Monitoring data, which characterizes the solid waste, shall be provided to the permittee by the generator on a regular basis as required by the permit. All other monitoring (groundwater, surface water, soils, etc.) shall be the responsibility of the permittee and shall be determined on a site-specific basis. Q. If substances that may be deleterious to human health are placed on the land in amounts that are in excess of those established as acceptable for growing food chain crops, notice of such shall be given to future landowners (via notice to the deed). When soil analyses show that such levels of contaminants are no longer present, the notice to future landowners shall not be required. TABLE 1 MAXIMUM PLANT AVAILABLE NITROGEN LEVELS TO BE APPLIED TO CROPLANDS CROP MAXIMUM P.A.N. LBS/AC/YR) Bahia grass Bermuda grass Fescue Grain sorghum Silage sorghum Millett Rye grass Alfalfa, clover, vetch Cotton Corn Soybeans Wheat Other cover vegetation may be grown, if approved by the Department . TABLE 2 MAXIMUM CUMULATIVE POLLUTANT LOADING RATES TO BE APPLIED AT LAND APPLICATION SITES Metals Loading Rates CEC* CEC* CEC* <5 5-15 >15 kg/ha (lb/ac) kg/ha (lb/ac) kg/ha (lb/ac) Lead (Pb) (455) (890) (1780) Zinc (Zn) (222) (445) (890) Copper (Cu) (111) (222) (445) Nickel (Ni) (111) (222) (445) Cadmium (Cd) (4.4) (8.9) (17.8) *CEC - Cation Exchange Capacity, meq/100 TABLE 3 PROCESSES TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE PATHOGENS (PSRP) Aerobic Digestion: The process is conducted by agitating sludge with air or oxygen to maintain conditions at residence times ranging from 60 days at 15 °C to 40 days at 20 °C, with a volatile solids reduction of at least 38 percent. Air Drying: Liquid sludge is allowed to drain and/or dry on under-drained sand beds, or paved or unpaved basins in which the sludge is at a depth of nine inches. A minimum of three months is needed, two months of which temperatures average on a daily basis above 0 °C. Anaerobic Digestion: The process is conducted in the absence of air at residence time ranging from 60 days at 20 °C to 15 days at 35 - 55 °C, with a volatile solids reduction of at least 38 percent. Composting: Using the within-vessel, static aerated pile or windrow composting methods, the solid waste is maintained at minimum operating conditions of 40 °C for 5 days. For four hours during this period the temperature exceeds 55 °C. Lime Stabilization: Sufficient lime is added to produce a pH of 12 after 2 hours of contact. Other Methods: Other methods or operating conditions may be acceptable if pathogens and vector attraction of the waste (volatile solids) are reduced to an extent equivalent to the reduction achieved by any of the above methods. PROCESSES TO FURTHER REDUCE PATHOGENS (PFRP) Composting: Using the within-vessel method, the solid waste is maintained at operating conditions of 55 C or greater for three days. Using the static aerated pile conditions of 55 C or greater for three days. Using the windrow composting method, the solid waste attains a temperature of 55 C or greater for at least 15 days during the composting period. Also, during the high temperature period, there will be a minimum of five turnings of the windrow. Heat Drying: De-watered sludge cake is dried by direct or indirect contact with hot gases, and moisture content is reduced to 10 percent or lower. Sludge particles reach temperatures well in excess of 80 C, or the wet bulb temperature of the gas stream in contact with the sludge at the point where it leaves the dryer is in excess of 80 C. Heat Treatment: Liquid sludge is heated to temperatures of 180 C for 30 minutes. Thermophillic Aerobic Digestion: Liquid sludge is agitated with air or oxygen to maintain aerobic conditions at residence times of 10 days at 55 – 60 C, with a volatile solids reduction of at least 38 percent. Other Methods: Other methods or operating conditions may be acceptable if pathogens and vector attraction of the waste (volatile solids) are reduced to an extent equivalent to the reduction achieved by any of the methods described above. Any of the processes listed below, if added to one of the PSRP processes listed in this Table 3, may be acceptable as the Processes to Further Reduce Pathogens. Beta Ray Irradiation: Sludge is irradiated with beta rays from an accelerator at dosages of at least 1.0 megarad at room temperature (ca. 20 C). Gamma Ray irradiation: Sludge is irradiated with gamma rays from certain isotopes, such as 60 Cobalt and 137 Cesium, at dosages of at least 1.0 megarad at room temperature (ca. 20 C). Pasteurization: Sludge is maintained for at least 30 minutes at a minimum temperature of 70 C. Other Methods: Other methods or operating conditions may be acceptable if pathogens are reduced to an extent to the equivalent to the reduction achieved by any of the above methods.