8.08B.290
Standards for Utilization of Biosolids and Septage As a Soil Amendment
A.
State
Documents Adopted by Reference. Municipal and Domestic Sludge Utilization
Guidelines, Department of Ecology WDOE 82-11, effective October 1982 and Best
Management Practices for Use of Municipal Sewage Sludge WDOE 82-12, effective
September 1982, and Guidance for Writing Case-by-Case Permit Requirements for
Municipal Sewage Sludge, Environment Protection Agency, May 1990, are hereafter
amended and adopted by reference.
B.
Permit. A
Permit for land Utilization of Biosolids is required.
Applications shall be on forms provided by the Health Officer and
submitted to the Health Department. All
applications shall be signed by the applicant, lessee, if any, and the property
owner. This includes short-term sites, one-time only sites, and
dedicated sites.
Non-contiguous parcels of land with a single owner,
lessee or applicant shall be treated as separate sites requiring separate
Permits.
Application may be approved, denied or conditioned by
the Health Officer. The decision
may be based on criteria established within the “Best Management Practice
Manual” and “Municipal and Domestic Sludge Utilization Guidelines”
published by the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Biosolids shall be applied at Agronomic Rates or at a rate specified by
the Health Officer on a case-by-case basis.
C.
Biosolids
Management Plan. All Biosolids generators within Island County must submit a
Residual Solids Management Plan and/or a Biosolids Management Plan describing
handling, solids contents, Utilization, Disposal, contingency plan, expected
Biosolids generated, and previous sampling results, annually to the Health
Department for approval. The plan
must be reviewed and updated annually by the generator and be consistent with
the Island County Solid Waste Management Plan.
D.
Setback.
Setbacks will be from the ordinary high-water mark. This means the mark on all lakes, streams, and tidal waters,
which will be found by examining the beds and banks and ascertaining where the
presence and action of waters are so common and usual, and so long continued in
all ordinary years, as to mark upon the soil a character distinct from that of
the abutting upland, in respect to vegetation, as the condition exists, or as it
may naturally change thereafter: PROVIDED, that in any area where the ordinary
high-water mark cannot be found, the ordinary high-water mark adjoining
saltwater shall be the line of mean higher high tide and the ordinary high-water
mark adjoining freshwater shall be the line of mean high water.
Setbacks for Biosolids applications will be
considered on a case-by-case basis. The
following Setbacks shall be used as a guideline:
1.
Marine
water and freshwater: 200 feet
2.
Seasonal
streams: 100 feet
3.
Dwellings,
Subdivisions, Schools, Playgrounds: 100-300 feet
4.
Property
lines: 30 feet
5.
Drinking
water wells and springs: 200-1500 feet
6.
Irrigation
wells not utilized for domestic purposes: 100 feet
7.
Water
table vertical separation: 3 feet
E.
Access
Control. Biosolids Utilization sites shall be posted: “CAUTION DO NOT ENTER
BIOSOLIDS UTILIZATION SITE.” These
signs shall be posted at a minimum interval of 300 feet on all property lines
which border public roads, or other property which might provide access by the
general public. Such signs shall
remain in place for at least 12 months following the final Biosolids application
unless the area used Biosolids processed in accordance with WDOE 82-12 appendix
part “B.”
F.
Monitoring.
1.
Soil Monitoring. Land Application Sites are required to conduct soil
sampling prior to Biosolids application. The soil should not be Contaminated with manure, Biosolids,
lime, fertilizer, or other substances. Parameters
for soil monitoring will include but not limited to: pH, total nitrogen, copper,
zinc, cadmium, chromium, lead, cation exchange capacity, phosphorus and
potassium. Requirements for annual
soil monitoring will be on a case-by-case basis and will continue once
application of Biosolids has ceased. Dedicated
land Disposal sites and Land Reclamation sites and Land Reclamation sites may be
required to conduct additional soil monitoring.
2.
Ground
and Surface Water. Monitoring may be required to ensure that an application site
is not contaminating the Ground Water aquifer or causing non-point source
pollution of Surface Waters.
To establish a water quality baseline prior to
Biosolids application a minimum of three (3) nitrates and one (1)
bacteriological sampling is required of nearby wells with annual sampling
thereafter. Wells to be monitored
will be determined by the Health Department.
3.
Biosolids
Characteristics. Sludges must be analyzed to determine nutrient values and heavy
metals prior to land application. The
Biosolids analysis must have been taken within the past twelve months and
represent the Biosolids proposed for land application.
The analysis must include the following parameters: pH, percent solids,
total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, inorganic nitrogen, total
phosphorus, total potassium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc.
Other parameters may be required by the Health Officer.
4.
Vegetation
Monitoring. Land Disposal sites may require monitoring of the food chain
vegetation being grown on the site for potentially harmful quantities of heavy
metals.
G.
Wet
Soils. Biosolids will not be applied when the soil is saturated, frozen or snow
covered. The Biosolids generator
may be required to have adequate Storage area to contain the Biosolids until it
can be applied. The Biosolids
containment area must meet the requirements of ICC 8.08B and WAC 173-350.