Texas Waste Water Treatment Ch#02 State Requirements

The role of supervision and management is to: • assign work; • provide safety training; • provide tools; and • secure permits/financing.

Responsibilities of the licensed operator include protecting the public from waterborne disease, performing duties professionally, protecting state water from pollution, maintaining required licensing, and practicing safety. Operators are NOT required to control inflation

The Clean Water Act is the primary FEDERAL law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) strives to protect our state's public health and natural resources consistent with sustainable economic development. The Texas Water Code is the body of regulations the TCEQ enforces and maintains.

EPA and OSHA are national entities. OSHA regulations do not apply and the EPA is to the TCEQ what federal government is to state government.

An individual first entering the field of wastewater treatment or collection may be employed as an operator-in-training for a period up to one year.

Water quality fees are based on plant flow, which is expressed as million gallons per day (MGD). Prior to 2001, the TCEQ assessed and billed two separate fees to wastewater permit holders, the Water Quality Assessment (WQA) and the waste treatment fee (abbreviated as WWI). Beginning in 2001, the TCEQ combined the fees into a single consolidated water quality (CWQ) fee. The CWQ provides funding for the Texas Clean Rivers Program and the administration of water quality programs. TCEQ Rules (30 TAC, Chapter 21.3) establish the fee calculation method; the fee can be as high as $115,000 per permit. For more information on water quality fees, see 30 TAC Chapter 21.

Enforcement actions can be taken if the pollution or waste violates the Texas Water Code. Such violations may include: • an accidental discharge; • a health hazard; or • an unauthorized discharge.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the organization that would investigate and track these events, assess fines, and revoke licenses if necessary.

Penalty assessment will take into account the circumstances (neglegence vs act of god), physical effect (big vs small), responsibility (whos done it), intentions (accidental vs intentional), and economics (did your company violate the regulation because the fine would be cheaper than prevention).

The local government can inspect and investigate water quality conditions within its jurisdiction to determine if water quality standards are met, persons discharging to public waterways have permits, and permit terms are being followed.

According to the Texas Water Code, §26.177, a city with a population over 10,000 may establish a water pollution control program and hire qualified personnel to administer it. NOTE: Areas below this limit are likely using personal septic systems and other solutions to mitigate environmental impact.

A treatment plant must keep records of plant operation and laboratory results. Required records, such as flow and effluent quality, must be kept at least 3 years. Sludge records must be kept 5 years. Records help operators prepare reports, monitor the plant, justify plant modifications, and support budget requests. See appendix D for more information on records needed for wastewater monitoring. Reports, including discharge monitoring reports (DMR) and monthly effluent reports (MER), are to be submitted to the TCEQ no later than the 20th of the following month. In each month’s DMR, all the required parameters, including all data monitored and the frequency of monitoring, must be included. Reports must be sent in, correctly filled in, and signed, even if there was no discharge for that month. Operators should not sign DMRs unless they are a legal signatory or have written authorization from a legal signatory within their organization. This written authorization, called a delegation of authority, must be on file with the TCEQ. Forms for delegations of authority are available from the TCEQ.

According to the rules of the TCEQ, “it is the policy of this state … to maintain the quality of water in the state consistent with public health and enjoyment, propagation and protection of terrestrial and aquatic life, and operation of existing industries and economic development.” It is also the state's policy “to encourage and promote development and use of regional and area-wide wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal systems to serve the wastewater disposal needs of the citizens of the state” (30 TAC §307.1). To implement this policy, the TCEQ has set minimum surface water quality standards for the waters of the state. NOTE: If it mentions "State" anything the answer is likely TCEQ the state of texas' governing body for waste water. if it mentions anything national then you're talking about the federal clean water act.

Major surface waters are classified as “segments” for the purposes of water quality management and designation of site-specific standards.