The following definitions are applicable to terms used in
chs.
NR 200 to 299 except as they may
be superseded by a more specific definition in a particular chapter or section
or in any particular issued permit.
(1) Bioaccumulation" means the uptake and
retention of one or more substances in living tissue either by direct uptake or
through uptake in the food chain or both.
(2) Bioassay" means the procedure in which
the response of captive aquatic organisms are used to detect or measure the
presence or effect of one or more substances, wastes or environmental factors,
alone or in combination.
(3)
Biological monitoring" as defined in ch. 283, Stats., means the determination
of the effects on aquatic life, including accumulation of pollutants in tissue,
in receiving waters due to the discharge of pollutants by techniques and
procedures, including sampling of organisms representative of appropriate
levels of the food chain appropriate to the volume and the physical, chemical
and biological characteristic of the effluent and at appropriate frequencies
and locations.
(3m) Blending" has
the meaning specified under s.
NR 210.03(2e).
Note: Section
NR 210.03(2e) reads: Blending" means the
routing of untreated or partially treated wastewater around a biological
treatment process, or a portion of a biological treatment process, within a
sewage treatment facility. The routing of untreated or partially treated
wastewater around a portion of a biological treatment process is considered to
be blending only if the entire wastewater flow has not received biological
treatment.
(4) Blowdown"
means the minimum discharge of recirculating water necessary to prevent the
buildup of materials in the water above the limits of best engineering
practice.
(4m) Building backup" has
the meaning specified under s.
NR 210.03(2m).
Note: Section
NR 210.03(2m) reads: Building backup"
means an accumulation of sewage in any public or private building caused by
blockage, failure or other hydraulic constraint in the sewage collection system
or by blockage or failure of the building sewer or private interceptor main
sewer.
(5) Bypass" means
the intentional diversion of waste streams from any portion of a sewage
treatment facility or a wastewater treatment facility. A bypass does not
include a building back-up or a combined sewer overflow.
(6) Chronic toxicity" means the long term
effects on aquatic or terrestrial organisms from exposure to a toxic pollutant
as determined by whole or partial life-cycle tests.
(6e) Combined sewer overflow" has the meaning
specified under s.
NR 210.03(3h).
Note: Section
NR 210.03(3h) reads: Combined sewer
overflow" means a release of wastewater from a combined sewer system directly
into a water of the state or to the land surface.
(6m) Combined sewer system" has the meaning
specified under s.
NR 210.03(3p).
Note: Section
NR 210.03(3p) reads: Combined sewer
system" means a wastewater collection system owned by a municipality that
conveys domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater and storm water runoff
through a single pipe system to a publicly owned treatment works.
(6s) Combined sewer treatment
facility" has the meaning specified under s.
NR 110.03(7s).
Note: Section
NR 110.03(7s) reads: Combined sewer
treatment facility" means all the structures, pipes and other equipment that
constitute the various treatment processes and treatment units employed to
reduce pollutants in wastewater from combined sewer systems.
(7) Commercial domestic establishment" means
any establishment which has the capability to collect, treat or dispose of
domestic wastes including but not limited to restaurants, country clubs, mobile
home parks, motels and hotels.
(8)
Construction" as defined in ch. 283, Stats., means any placement, assembly or
installation of facilities or equipment, including contractual obligations to
purchase such facilities or equipment, at the premises where such equipment
will be used, including preparation work at such premises.
(9) Contaminated storm water" means a point
source discharge of storm water which the department has identified as a
significant contributor of pollution.
(9g) Continuous discharge" means a facility
that discharges 24 hours per day on a year-round basis except for temporary
shutdowns for maintenance or other similar activities.
(9m) Controlled diversion" means the routing
of untreated or partially treated wastewater around any treatment unit within a
sewage or wastewater treatment facility which is then recombined with
undiverted wastewater prior to the effluent sampling location and prior to
effluent discharge.
Note: Controlled diversions at a sewage
treatment facility do not include blending and may occur only in compliance
with s.
NR 205.07(1)
(v).
(10) Cooling water" means water which has
been used primarily for cooling but which may be contaminated with process
waste or airborne material. Examples are the discharge from barometric
condensers or the blowdown from cooling towers.
(11) Department" means the department of
natural resources.
(12) Discharge"
as defined in ch. 283, Stats., when used without qualification includes a
discharge of any pollutant.
(13)
Discharge of pollutant" as defined in ch. 283, Stats., means any addition of
any pollutant to the waters of this state from any point source including the
land application of sludge.
(14)
Domestic wastewater" means the type of wastewater normally discharged from
plumbing facilities in private dwellings or commercial domestic establishments
and includes, but is not limited to, sanitary, bath, laundry, dishwashing,
garbage disposal and cleaning wastewaters.
(15) Effluent limitation" as defined in ch.
283, Stats., means any restriction established by the department, including
schedules of compliance, on quantities, rate, and concentrations of chemical,
physical, biological and other constituents which are discharged from point
sources into waters of the state.
(16) General permit" means a permit for the
discharge of pollutants issued by the department under s.
283.35,
Stats.
(17) Groundwater" means the
portion of subsurface water which is within the zone of saturation and includes
but is not limited to perched water tables, shallow regional groundwater
tables, and aquifers or zones that are seasonally, periodically or permanently
saturated.
(18) Municipality" as
defined in ch. 283, Stats., means any city, town, village, county, county
utility district, town sanitary district, town utility district, school
district or metropolitan sewage district or any other public entity created
under law and having authority to collect, treat or dispose of sewage,
industrial wastes or other wastes.
(19) Municipal wastewater" means the mixture
of domestic, process and other wastewater tributary to any given municipal
sanitary sewage or treatment system.
(20) New source" as defined in ch. 283,
Stats., means any point source the construction of which commenced after the
effective date of applicable effluent limitations or standards of
performance.
(21) Noncontact
cooling water" means water used for cooling which does not come into contact
with any raw material, intermediate or finished product, or waste and has been
used in heat exchangers, air or refrigeration compressors, or other cooling
means where contamination with process waste is not normally
expected.
(22) Owner or operator"
as defined in ch. 283, Stats., means any person owning or operating a point
source of pollution.
(23) Permit"
as defined in ch. 283, Stats., means a permit for the discharge of pollutants
issued by the department under ch. 283, Stats.
(24) Permittee" means a municipality,
industry, public agency or commercial domestic establishment which is issued a
permit.
(25) Person" as defined in
ch. 283, Stats., means an individual, owner or operator, corporation,
partnership, association, municipality, interstate agency, state agency or
federal agency.
(26) pH excursion"
means an unintentional and temporary incident in which the pH value of the
discharge wastewater exceeds the range set forth in the applicable effluent
limitations as specified in the permit.
(27) Point source as defined in s.
283.01(12),
Stats., means any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance including but
not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete
fissure, container, rolling stock, landfill leachate collection system,
concentrated animal feeding operation or vessel or other floating craft from
which pollutants may be discharged either into the waters of this state or into
a publicly owned treatment works. Point source does not include diffused
surface drainage or any ditch or channel which serves only to intermittently
drain excess surface water from rain or melting snow and is not used as a means
of conveying pollutants into waters of the state. Point source does not include
uncontrolled discharges composed entirely of storm runoff when these discharges
are uncontaminated by any industrial or commercial activity, unless the
particular storm runoff discharge has been identified by the department as a
significant contributor of pollution.
(28) Pollutant as defined in s.
283.01(13),
Stats., means any dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage,
garbage, refuse, oil, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological
materials, radioactive substance, heat, filter backwash, wrecked or discarded
equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal and agricultural
waste discharged into water.
(29)
Pollution" as defined in ch. 283, Stats., means man-made or man-induced
alteration of the chemical, physical, biological or radiological integrity of
water.
(30) Process wastewater"
means any water which, during manufacturing or processing, comes into direct
contact with or results from the production or use of any raw material,
intermediate product, finished product, byproduct, or waste product, and is
likely to contain in solution or suspension various components of such raw
materials or products.
(31)
Publicly owned treatment works" has the meaning specified under s.
NR 211.03(11).
(31g) Sanitary sewer overflow" has the
meaning specified under s.
NR 210.03(10).
Note: Section
NR 210.03(10) reads: Sanitary sewer
overflow" means a release of wastewater from a sewage collection system or an
interceptor sewer directly into a water of the state or to the land
surface.
(31r) Satellite
sewage collection system" means a municipally owned or a privately owned sewage
collection system that conveys wastewater to another satellite sewage
collection system or to another sewerage system that provides wastewater
treatment and discharges under a separate WPDES permit.
(32) Schedule of compliance" as defined in
ch. 283, Stats., means a schedule of remedial measures including an enforceable
sequence of actions or operations leading to compliance with an effluent
limitation or other limitation, prohibition or standard.
(33) Secretary" as defined in ch. 283,
Stats., means the secretary of the department or the secretary's
designee.
(34) Severe property
damage" means substantial physical damage to property, damage to the treatment
facilities which causes them to become inoperable, or substantial and permanent
loss of natural resources. Severe property damage does not mean economic loss
caused by delays in production.
(35) Sewage" as defined in s.
299.01, Stats., means
the water carried wastes created in and to be conducted away from residences,
industrial establishments, and public buildings as defined in s.
101.01(12),
Stats., with such surface or groundwater as may be present.
(35e) Sewage treatment facility" has the
meaning specified under s.
NR 110.03(29).
Note: Section
NR 110.03(29) reads: Sewage treatment
facility" means all the structures, pipes and other equipment that constitute
the various treatment processes and treatment units employed to reduce
pollutants in sewage.
(35m)
Sewage treatment facility overflow" has the meaning specified under s.
NR 210.03(13).
Note: Section
NR 210.03(13) Sewage treatment facility
overflow" means a release of wastewater from a location within a sewage
treatment facility, other than permitted effluent outfall structures, directly
to a water of the state or to the land surface. A sewage treatment facility
overflow does not include blending, controlled diversions or discharges from
permitted combined sewage treatment facility effluent outfall
structures.
(35s) Sewerage
System" has the meaning specified under s.
NR 110.03(30).
Note: Section
NR 110.03(30) reads: Sewerage system"
means all structures, conduits and pipes, by which sewage is collected,
treated, and disposed of, except plumbing inside and in connection with
buildings served, and service pipes, from building to street main.
(36) Sludge" means the accumulated
solids generated during the biological treatment, chemical treatment,
coagulation or sedimentation of water or wastewater.
(37) Standard of performance" means any
restriction established on quantities, rates and concentrations of chemical,
physical, biological and other constituents of wastewaters which are or may be
discharged from new sources into the waters of the state.
(38) Storm water" or storm runoff" means
water resulting from melting snow or rainfall.
(39) Toxic pollutants" as defined in ch. 283,
Stats., means those pollutants or combinations of pollutants, including
disease-causing agents, which after discharge and upon exposure, injection,
inhalation or assimilation into any organism, either directly from the
environment or indirectly by ingestion through food chains, will, on the basis
of information available to the department, cause death, disease, behavioral
abnormalities, cancer, genetic mutation, physiological malfunctions, including
malfunctions in reproduction or physical deformations, in such organisms or
their offspring.
(39g) Treatment
process" has the meaning specified under s.
NR 110.03(32g).
Note: Section
NR 110.03(32g) Treatment process" means
a physical, biological or chemical action that is applied to wastewater to
remove or reduce pollutants. A treatment process may consist of multiple
individual treatment units. Treatment process" includes screening, chemical
treatment, sedimentation, biological treatment, filtration, disinfection and
sludge digestion.
(39r)
Treatment unit" has the meaning specified under s.
NR 110.03(32i).
Note: Section
NR 110.03(32i) reads: Treatment unit"
means individual structures or equipment within a sewage or wastewater
treatment facility that are part of a treatment process. Typical treatment
units are screens, clarifiers, aeration tanks, filters, digesters and
lagoons.
(40) Treatment
work" as defined in ch. 283, Stats., means any devices and systems used in the
storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage or industrial
waste of a liquid nature or necessary to recycle or reuse water at the most
economical cost over the estimated life of the work, including intercepting
sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, cooling towers and ponds,
pumping, power and other equipment, and their appurtenances, extensions,
improvements, remodeling, additions, and alterations thereof, elements
essential to provide a reliable recycled supply such as standby treatment units
and clear well facilities, and any works, including site acquisition of the
land that will be an integral part of the treatment process or is used for
ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment. Additionally,
treatment work means any other method or system for preventing, abating,
reducing, storing, treating, separating or disposing of municipal waste,
including storm water runoff, or industrial waste, including waste in combined
storm water and sanitary sewer systems.
(41) Upset" means an exceptional incident in
which there is unintentional and temporary noncompliance with permit effluent
limitations because of factors beyond the reasonable control of the permittee.
An upset does not include noncompliance to the extent caused by operational
error, improperly designed treatment facilities, inadequate treatment
facilities, lack of preventive maintenance, or careless or improper
operation.
(42) Vessel" as defined
in ch. 283, Stats., means any watercraft or other artificial contrivance used
or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water.
(43) Wastewater" means cooling water,
contaminated storm water, noncontact cooling water, process wastewater, sewage
or any combination of these.
(43m)
Wastewater treatment facility" means all the structures, pipes, and other
equipment that constitute the various treatment processes and treatment units
employed to reduce pollutants in wastewater.
(44) Waters of the state" as defined in ch.
283, Stats., means those portions of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior within the
boundaries of Wisconsin, all lakes, bays, rivers, streams, springs, ponds,
wells, impounding reservoirs, marshes, water courses, drainage systems and
other surface or groundwater, natural or artificial, public or private within
the state or under its jurisdiction, except those waters which are entirely
confined and retained completely upon the property of a person.
