Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 62-600.705 - Collection/Transmission Systems

(1) An applicant for a wastewater treatment facility permit shall provide a power outage contingency plan with the submittal of the facility's application for a new permit, permit renewal, or substantial permit revision. The power outage contingency plan shall describe the general program and protocols to mitigate the impacts of power outages on the facility's collection/transmission system and pump stations, including any applicable mutual aid agreements. A copy of the power outage contingency plan, including any updates or revisions, shall be submitted with subsequent facility applications for permit renewal or substantial permit revision.

(2) Domestic wastewater facilities shall act to prevent sanitary sewer overflows and underground pipe leaks for all collection/transmission systems under control of the facility and shall meet the requirements in this section for those systems.

(a) The facility permittee for a wastewater treatment facility permit shall develop a pipe assessment, repair, and replacement action plan, referred to hereafter in this sections as the "collection system action plan" or "plan, " with at least a 5-year planning horizon for all collection/transmission systems under the utility's control to mitigate sanitary sewer overflows and underground pipe leaks to the extent technically and economically feasible. The detail of the plan shall be consistent with the complexity of the system based on the best professional judgement of the individual signing the plan. Any portion of the plan requiring "engineering, " as defined by Chapter 471, F.S., shall be certified by a professional engineer registered in the State of Florida. An electronic summary of the collection system action plan shall be submitted to the Department with the facility permit application for any new permit, permit renewal, or substantial permit revision. A copy of the plan or portions of the plan shall be provided within 7 days of request by the Department. The collection system action plan shall meet the following requirements:

1. The plan shall provide a deliberate, proactive approach to evaluating or surveying the pipes, manholes, pump stations, tanks, and other equipment for the collection/transmission systems under the facility's control during the 5-year planning horizon period. This shall be accomplished in an economically feasible manner. The collection system action plan shall set goals for evaluating percentages of the collection/transmission system annually through the use of one or more investigative techniques such as camera inspections, smoke testing, data analytics, flow isolation, focused electrode leak location, direct observation, and sonar imaging, water chemistry, and solids analysis, or through use of flow monitoring determine the amounts of infiltration, inflow, and leakages. The plan shall set a minimum goal of performing basic evaluations for at least 25 percent of the collection/transmission system during the plan's five-year planning horizon, unless the permittee demonstrates based on economic feasibility, the age or performance of the collection/transmission system or repairs, replacements, maintenance activities, and other upgrades conducted therein that a lower percentage will achieve the requirements of subsection 62-600.410(6), F.A.C., and the goals for infiltration, inflow, and leakages shall be below the amounts considered excessive under Rule 62-604.500, F.A.C.

2. The plan shall be based on inflow and infiltration studies and leakage surveys conducted by the facility permittee or designee. When the initial inflow and infiltration studies and leakage surveys indicate that inflow, infiltration, or leakage is excessive, then the plan shall also be based on any follow-up sanitary sewer evaluation surveys. The facility permittee may propose an alternative metric to these requirements which the Department shall accept upon a demonstration by the facility permittee that the alternative metric is at least as effective in characterizing the collection/transmission system and determining the actions needed to prevent sanitary sewer overflows.

3. The plan shall provide contact information for the facility and utility of those responsible for implementing the collection system action plan.

4. The plan shall include a map and inventory of the collection/transmission system. The plan for facilities with a permitted capacity of 1 million gallons per day (mgd) or greater shall incorporate the use of a computerized geographic information systems (GIS) map and an electronic maintenance management system or other electronic inventory of the collection/transmission systems under control of the facility, which shall include the following information to the extent technically and economically practicable:

a. For each section of pipe, manholes, and pump stations, a component identification tracking number, the location, length of portion, size and diameter, type of pipe or construction, age, inspection information, and maintenance information.

b. Any climatic and geologic data determined necessary by the facility permittee to help identify appropriate maintenance and repair actions, such as geologic and topographic information; hydrologic information including seasonal high water table information prepared by the facility permittee, United States Geological Survey or other governmental entity; regional rainfall data collected by the facility permittee or other governmental entity; and groundwater quality monitoring associated with the collection/transmission system, if conducted.

c. Information regarding any collection/transmission system flows, overflows, bypasses, verified odor complaints, corrosion data, past inflow and infiltration analysis results, past leakage surveys, population served, and industries served.

5. The plan shall include adaptive maintenance and repair plans including general facility program and protocols regarding routine maintenance, cleaning activities, and protocol for emergency repairs.

6. The plan shall address record keeping for all items in the collection system action plan.

7. The plan shall describe measures taken, if any, for limiting the presence of fats, oils, grease, wet wipes, sand, and grit to the collection/transmission system, as well as a root control program.

8. The plan shall describe measures taken, if any, such as any sewer ordinances or any programs established by the applicable county or municipality in accordance with sections 125.569 and 166.0481, F.S., to minimize inflow and infiltration from individual service connections or sanitary sewer laterals, including for single-family residences, to the extent addressing such inflow and infiltration is determined necessary to prevent sanitary sewer overflows and redressable within the authority of the facility permittee.

9. The plan shall identify, by no later than the first new permit, permit renewal, or substantial permit revision application after December 21, 2025, all satellite collection systems connected to the facility collection system including the name of each satellite collection system, the ownership type of each identified satellite collection system, a unique identifier number for each satellite collection system, whether the satellite collection system is under the control of the facility, and population served by the satellite collection system, The plan shall describe the measures taken, if any, to require or encourage owners/operators of satellite collection systems to minimize inflow and infiltration from their satellite collection systems that cause or contribute to sanitary sewer overflows in the facility's collection system.

10. The plan shall describe the resiliency of the collection/transmission systems that considers sea-level rise and the planned or completed flood mitigation and stormwater control actions, if any, by the facility permittee or governmental entities that the facility permittee identified as reducing the potential for inflow and infiltration into the facility permittee's collection/transmission system.

(b) The facility permittee shall submit an annual report summarizing the collection system action plan implementation to the Department no later than June 30 of the year following the close of the fiscal year covered by the report. The report shall be submitted electronically to the applicable district office or delegated local program. The annual report shall address or include the following, at a minimum:

1. A summary of the collection/transmission system-related assessments (e.g. evaluations, investigations, studies, and surveys) conducted including the percentage of the collection/transmission system assessed during the year and the cumulative percentage investigated to date during the 5-year planning horizon of the collection system action plan; the methods used for the assessments; the results of the assessments; and any estimates of inflow, infiltration, and leakages.

2. Any repairs, replacements, maintenance activities, expansions and other upgrades, which the facility permittee identifies as significant, conducted during the year and planned for the upcoming year based on the performance and identified needs of the collection/transmission system.

3. After December 21, 2025, the identification of any new satellite collection systems added to the system including the name of each satellite collection system, the ownership-type of each satellite collection system, a unique identifier number for each satellite collection system, whether the satellite system is under the control of the facility, and the estimated population served by each satellite collection system..

4. Information regarding the annual expenditures dedicated to the inflow and infiltration studies and the collection system action plan; expenditures dedicated to pipe assessment, repair, and replacement; and expenditures designed to limit the presence of fats, oils, grease, roots, wet wipes, sand, and grit in the facility's collection/transmission system.,

5. Details of facility revenues and expenditures including any substantial increase or decrease of annual expenditures from identified cost projections to address system needs related to inflow and infiltration studies; model plans for pipe assessment, repair, and replacement; and pipe assessment, repair, and replacement required or identified by the collection system action plan.

6. Additional activities and information that the facility permittee identifies as relevant to the prevention of sanitary sewer overflows and underground pipe leakages, such as public education campaigns regarding the proper disposal of wet wipes, flood mitigation measures, stormwater control projects, and other relevant actions identified by the facility permittee.

(3) An applicant may use an alternative to a requirement in subsection 62-600.705(2). F.A.C., if the applicant:

(a) Demonstrates to the Department that the proposed alternative assures at least the same level of protection to the environment and public health; and,

(b) The alternative is submitted and approved with an application for a new facility permit, permit renewal, or substantial permit revision.

(4) Facility permittees meeting the stated goals of their pipe assessment, repair, and replacement action plans shall be eligible for ten year permits in accordance with Section 403.087, F.S.

(5) Substantial compliance with subsection 62-600.705(2), F.A.C., will be used as evidence in mitigation for the purposes of assessing penalties under Department rules.

(6) Owners/operators of publicly owned satellite collection systems with a flow of 100, 000 gallons per day (gpd) or greater, or serving a population of 1000 or more, shall develop a collection system action plan in accordance with Rule 62-600.705, F.A.C. The plan shall be prepared no later than five years after (effective date of rule). The owner/operator of the satellite collection system shall notify the Department and the treatment facility which receives the satellite collection system's flow when the plan has been prepared. This plan shall be reviewed annually by the owner/operator of the satellite collection system and updated at least every five years. The plan shall be made available for inspection within 7 days of request by the Department.

Notes

Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 62-600.705

Rulemaking Authority 403.051, 403.061, 403.086, 403.087, 403.088 FS. Law Implemented 403.021, 403.051, 403.061, 403.087, 403.088, 403.0881 FS.

Adopted by Florida Register Volume 47, Number 227, November 23, 2021 effective 1/1/2022.

Ratified by Ch. 2023-308, LOF.

New 6-28-23.