The requirements of this section shall apply to any facility that treats biosolids from other facilities prior to use, land application, or disposal. These requirements also apply to septage management facilities that treat domestic septage and combinations of food establishment sludges, wastes removed from portable toilets, and wastes removed from holding tanks associated with boats, marina pumpout, or other onsite systems prior to use, land application, or disposal.

1. (1) General Criteria.

   1. (a) The biosolids treatment management facility permittee shall be responsible for proper treatment, management, use, land application, and disposal of the biosolids it accepts from a source facility, according to the requirements of this chapter.

      1. The biosolids applied to land or distributed and marketed shall meet the pathogen reduction and vector attraction reduction requirements of Rule 62-640.600, F.A.C.

      2. The biosolids treatment facility shall meet the monitoring, record keeping, reporting and notification requirements of Rule 62-640.650, F.A.C., and the additional requirements of this section.

      3. The biosolids shall be applied to land or distributed and marketed in accordance with the applicable requirements of Rules 62-640.700, 62-640.800, 62-640.850, F.A.C., and the additional requirements of this section.

   2. (b) The source facility permittee shall not be held responsible for treatment, management, use, land application, or disposal violations that occur after its biosolids have been accepted by a permitted biosolids treatment facility with which the source facility permittee has an agreement in accordance with paragraph 62-640.880(1)(c), F.A.C., for further treatment, management, use, land application, or disposal.
   3. (c) The source facility and the biosolids treatment facility shall enter into a written agreement addressing the quality and quantity of the biosolids accepted by the biosolids treatment facility. The agreement shall include a statement, signed by the biosolids treatment facility permittee, as to the availability of sufficient permitted capacity to receive the biosolids from the source facility, and indicating that the biosolids treatment facility will continue to operate in compliance with the requirements of its permit. The agreement shall also address responsibility during transport of biosolids between the facilities. The biosolids treatment facility permittee shall submit a copy of this agreement to the appropriate District Office of the Department, or to the delegated Local Program, at least 30 days before transporting biosolids from the source facility to the biosolids treatment facility.

2. (2) Permitting.

   1. (a) Fees. For the purpose of determining applicable permit fees, the biosolids treatment facility shall be classified as Type I, II, or III based on the design capacity established by the permittee as follows:

1. (b) All applications for biosolids treatment facility permits shall be submitted on Department Form 62-620.910(2), Application Form 2A, Permit for Domestic Wastewater Treatment and Reuse or Disposal Facility.
2. (c) Under the requirements of this chapter and the applicable requirements of Chapters 62-600 and 62-620, F.A.C., the biosolids treatment facility shall be permitted to treat either biosolids or combinations of biosolids, domestic septage, food establishment sludges, wastes removed from portable toilets, and wastes removed from holding tanks associated with boats, marina pumpout, and other onsite systems. A biosolids treatment facility shall not accept industrial sludges unless specific approval is granted in the biosolids treatment facility permit. A separate approval shall be obtained for each source of industrial sludge that will be accepted by the biosolids treatment facility. Approval shall be granted only if it is determined that the industrial sludge will not interfere with the beneficial use of the biosolids treated by the biosolids treatment facility. This determination shall be based on an evaluation of all parameters in the industrial sludge.
3. (d) A domestic wastewater treatment facility that intends to accept biosolids from other facilities and that already holds a valid wastewater permit shall not be required to obtain a separate permit as a biosolids treatment facility, but shall obtain a permit revision based on the requirements of this section.

4. (e) An applicant for a wastewater permit for a new biosolids treatment facility or substantial modifications to an existing facility shall submit a preliminary design report or other information as specified for domestic wastewater facilities in Rule 62-620.412, F.A.C., for review by the Department as part of the application for permit. As appropriate, the preliminary design report shall include the following:

   1. Types, quantities and characteristics of all materials to be treated at the facility. If the facility will treat wastes removed from portable toilets, or wastes removed from holding tanks associated with boats, marina pumpout, and other onsite systems, the preliminary design report shall also address the organic loading from those wastes, and chemical additives that may be present in such wastes,

   2. The design capacity, which shall address the contribution of all materials that will be treated at the facility (i.e., biosolids, domestic septage, food establishment sludge, wastes removed from portable toilets, and wastes removed from holding tanks associated with boats, marina pumpout, and other onsite systems),

   3. The design ratios of domestic septage, food establishment sludges, and wastes removed from portable toilets, or wastes removed from holding tanks associated with boats, marina pumpout, and other onsite systems,

   4. A site plan showing operations and unit processes; 100-year and 25-year flood elevations; approximate finish elevations for all major treatment units, mixing tanks; storage tanks; and equipment,

   5. An assessment of environmental effects of the project, including odor, dust and noise control, public accessibility, proximity to existing and proposed residential areas, flood protection, and lighting,

   6. Class of pathogen reduction and vector attraction reduction that will be achieved in accordance with subsections 62-640.600(1) and (2), F.A.C., and a description of treatment processes and equipment that will be used,

   7. Technical information and design criteria for treatment facilities, including:

   a. Hydraulic and organic loading rates – minimum, average, and maximum quantities for the treatment processes,

   b. Metering and sampling provision,

   c. Solids retention time,

   d. All treatment process parameters to be monitored,

   e. Chemical addition facilities, if applicable,

   f. Removals or cencentrations with separate tabulation for each unit handling solid fractions with supporting data including design calculations,

   g. Mode of operation (batch or continuous),

   h. Corrosion control measures; and,

   i. Onsite storage of treated and untreated biosolids, storage of chemicals, and alternate disposal methods,

   8. Process diagrams, including:

   a. Expected dimensions of unit operations and processes, capacities and volumes,

   b. Process configuration,

   c. Hydraulic profile,

   d. Organic loading profile,

   e. Solids profile,

   f. Solids control system; and,

   g. Flow diagram with capacities,

   9. Operation and control strategies included for prevention of upsets, spill prevention and control, leachate collection if applicable, alternate disposal methods, and reliability classification and features; and,

   10. Composting facilities shall identify the bulking agent, recommended mixing ratios and moisture content, aeration methods, retention times for curing and drying, precipitation and runoff control measures, and provisions to reduce particle size of larger yard trash items such as limbs, trees and tree stumps to promote composting.

5. (f) All biosolids treatment facilities permitted as Type I or Type II biosolids management facilities shall provide reliability features, such as redundancy of equipment, to provide for the continued and timely treatment of all biosolids the facility has the responsibility to treat.
6. (g) Operation and maintenance performance reports shall be required of all permittees in accordance with subsection 62-600.735(1), F.A.C., and shall address all process components, such as digesters, holding tanks, pumps, mixers, chemical feed equipment, and safety requirements.
7. (h) Biosolids treatment facilities shall be exempt from the capacity analysis report requirement of Rule 62-600.405, F.A.C.

8. (i) An operation and maintenance manual shall be prepared for all biosolids treatment facilities, in accordance with Rule 62-600.720 and Chapter 62-620, F.A.C. In addition to the requirements specified in Chapters 62-620 and 62-600, F.A.C., the operation and maintenance manual shall provide the operator with procedures for:

   1. Controlling and verifying the type of waste received at the facility,

   2. Vehicle traffic control and unloading,

   3. Measures to avoid mixing incoming untreated biosolids with treated biosolids,

   4. Maintaining hauling records in accordance with subsection 62-640.880(4), F.A.C.; and,

   5. Storage of biosolids and other materials at the site.

9. (j) Staffing. The level of operator staffing at a biosolids treatment facility shall be as follows:

*Classification of Type of facility as determined by paragraph 62-640.880(2)(a), F.A.C.

**Class of pathogen reduction achieved by the biosolids treatment facility in accordance with subsection 62-640.600(1), F.A.C.

***This category is for Class B liquid alkaline stabilization only.

1. The operator classification requirements shall be in accordance with Chapter 62-699, F.A.C.

2. Operator staffing requirements for facilities addressed in paragraph 62-640.880(2)(d), F.A.C., shall be established as the more stringent of either the requirements in Chapter 62-699, F.A.C., or the requirements in paragraph 62-640.880(2)(j), F.A.C. For septage management facilities with a permitted capacity equivalent to 10,000 gallons per day or less, the Class C operator requirements given in paragraph 62-640.880(2)(j), F.A.C., may be substituted with a registered septic tank contractor or master septic tank contractor.

3. In addition to the above staffing requirements, other personnel that are trained in the treatment process and equipment being used, working under the direction of a certified operator, shall be present at the biosolids treatment facility during loading and unloading operations and during other operating hours as recommended in the preliminary design report.

4. If justified by the complexity of the treatment process, the Department shall require a higher classification, more frequent visits, or more hours per day. Requests to alter or decrease staffing requirements shall be made through a minor permit revision under Rule 62-620.325, F.A.C., and shall be based upon site-specific requirements, facility operation, risk to public health and the environment, and the presence of other trained personnel.

1. (k) The biosolids treatment facility permittee shall be responsible for making the facilities safe in terms of public health and safety at all times, and shall notify the Department and all affected parties, in writing, at least 60 days before ceasing operation in accordance with subsection 62-620.610(15), F.A.C.

2. (3) Treatment Facility Biosolids Plan.

   1. (a) For land application the biosolids treatment facility shall submit a Treatment Facility Biosolids Plan, Form 62-640.210(2)(a), incorporated in subsection 62-640.210(2), F.A.C., effective June 21, 2021 with its wastewater permit application under subsection 62-640.300(2), F.A.C.
   2. (b) A source facility shall not be required to submit a Treatment Facility Biosolids Plan for the land application of biosolids that are transported to a biosolids treatment facility which is permitted under this chapter.

3. (4) Hauling Records.

   1. (a) The biosolids treatment facility and the source facility transporting the biosolids shall maintain hauling records to track the transport of biosolids between facilities. The hauling records for each party shall contain the following information:

1. (b) The hauling records shall be kept by both facility permittees for five years and shall be made available for inspection upon request by the Department. A copy of the hauling records information maintained by the source facility shall be provided upon delivery of the biosolids to the biosolids treatment facility.
2. (c) The biosolids treatment facility permittee shall report to the Department within 24 hours of discovery any discrepancy in the quantity of biosolids leaving the source facility and arriving at the biosolids treatment facility.

3. (5) Monitoring.

   1. (a) The Department shall not require the source facility to sample and analyze the biosolids in accordance with subsection 62-640.650(3), F.A.C., unless:

      1. Final treatment is performed by the source facility before transport to the biosolids treatment facility; and,

      2. The quality of the biosolids is not changed at the biosolids treatment facility.

      This provision shall not prevent the source facility from performing sampling and analysis separate from the source facility’s Department permit if such sampling and analysis is mutually agreed to by the source facility and the biosolids treatment facility.

   2. (b) Sampling and analysis shall be conducted by the biosolids treatment facility in accordance with subsection 62-640.650(3), F.A.C., and shall be performed after final treatment, but before use or land application. The minimum monitoring frequency shall be determined under subparagraph 62-640.650(3)(a)4., F.A.C. The Department shall increase or reduce the monitoring frequency in accordance with Rule 62-640.650, F.A.C.

4. (6) Septage Management Facilities.

   1. (a) Septage management facilities that treat more than 10,000 gallons per day monthly average daily flow or equivalent, or more than 20,000 gallons or equivalent on any one day, shall meet all the requirements of Rule 62-640.880, F.A.C., except that septage management facilities are exempt from the inter-facility agreement requirements of paragraph 62-640.880(1)(c), F.A.C., and the hauling records requirements of subsection 62-640.880(4), F.A.C.
   2. (b) If a permittee intends to use a septage management facility to treat biosolids, the facility must be permitted as a biosolids treatment facility in accordance with the requirements of this section.

Rulemaking Authority 403.051, 403.061, 403.062, 403.0855, 403.087, 403.088, 403.704, 403.707 FS. Law Implemented 403.021, 403.051, 403.061, 403.0855, 403.087, 403.088, 403.0881, 403.702, 403.704, 403.707, 403.708 FS. History–New 3-30-98, Amended 8-29-10, 6-21-21.