Section 430. Conditions applicable to all state permits

Part VIII. State Permit Conditions

The following conditions apply to all state permits. Additional conditions applicable to state permits are in 9VAC25-870-440. All conditions applicable to state permits shall be incorporated into the state permits either expressly or by reference. If incorporated by reference, a specific citation to this regulation must be given in the state permit.

A. The state permittee shall comply with all conditions of the state permit. Any state permit noncompliance constitutes a violation of the Act and the CWA, except that noncompliance with certain provisions of the state permit may constitute a violation of the Act but not the CWA. State permit noncompliance is grounds for enforcement action; for state permit termination, revocation and reissuance, or modification; or denial of a state permit renewal application.

The state permittee shall comply with effluent standards or prohibitions established under § 307(a) of the CWA for toxic pollutants within the time provided in the chapters that establish these standards or prohibitions, even if the state permit has not yet been modified to incorporate the requirement.

B. If the state permittee wishes to continue an activity regulated by the state permit after the expiration date of the state permit, the state permittee must apply for and obtain a new state permit.

C. It shall not be a defense for a state permittee in an enforcement action that it would have been necessary to halt or reduce the permitted activity in order to maintain compliance with the conditions of the state permit.

D. The state permittee shall take all reasonable steps to minimize or prevent any discharge in violation of the state permit that has a reasonable likelihood of adversely affecting human health or the environment.

E. The state permittee shall at all times properly operate and maintain all facilities and systems of treatment and control (and related appurtenances) that are installed or used by the state permittee to achieve compliance with the conditions of the state permit. Proper operation and maintenance also includes adequate laboratory controls and appropriate quality assurance procedures. This provision requires the operation of back-up or auxiliary facilities or similar systems that are installed by a state permittee only when the operation is necessary to achieve compliance with the conditions of the state permit.

F. State permits may be modified, revoked and reissued, or terminated for cause. The filing of a request by the state permittee for a state permit modification, revocation and reissuance, or termination, or a notification of planned changes or anticipated noncompliance does not stay any state permit condition.

G. State permits do not convey any property rights of any sort, or any exclusive privilege.

H. The state permittee shall furnish to the department, within a reasonable time, any information that the board may request to determine whether cause exists for modifying, revoking and reissuing, or terminating the state permit or to determine compliance with the state permit. The board may require the state permittee to furnish, upon request, such plans, specifications, and other pertinent information as may be necessary to determine the effect of the wastes from his discharge on the quality of state waters, or such other information as may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of the Act. The state permittee shall also furnish to the department upon request, copies of records required to be kept by the state permit.

I. The state permittee shall allow the director as the board's designee, or an authorized representative (including an authorized contractor acting as a representative of the administrator), upon presentation of credentials and other documents as may be required by law, to:

1. Enter upon the state permittee's premises where a regulated facility or activity is located or conducted, or where records must be kept under the conditions of the state permit;

2. Have access to and copy, at reasonable times, any records that must be kept under the conditions of the state permit;

3. Inspect at reasonable times any facilities, equipment (including monitoring and control equipment), practices, or operations regulated or required under the state permit; and

4. Sample or monitor at reasonable times, for the purposes of assuring state permit compliance or as otherwise authorized by the CWA and the Act, any substances or parameters at any location.

J. Monitoring and records.

1. Samples and measurements taken for the purpose of monitoring shall be representative of the monitored activity.

2. The state permittee shall retain records of all monitoring information, including all calibration and maintenance records and all original strip chart recordings for continuous monitoring instrumentation, copies of all reports required by the state permit, and records of all data used to complete the application for the state permit, for a period of at least three years from the date of the sample, measurement, report or application. This period of retention shall be extended automatically during the course of any unresolved litigation regarding the regulated activity or regarding control standards applicable to the state permittee, or as requested by the board.

3. Records of monitoring information shall include:

a. The date, exact place, and time of sampling or measurements;

b. The individual or individuals who performed the sampling or measurements;

c. The date or dates analyses were performed;

d. The individual or individuals who performed the analyses;

e. The analytical techniques or methods used; and

f. The results of such analyses.

4. Monitoring results must be conducted according to test procedures approved under 40 CFR Part 136 or alternative EPA approved methods, unless other test procedures have been specified in the state permit. Analyses performed according to test procedures approved under 40 CFR Part 136 shall be performed by an environmental laboratory certified under regulations adopted by the Department of General Services (1VAC30-45 or 1VAC30-46).

K. All applications, reports, or information submitted to the VSMP authority and department shall be signed and certified as required by 9VAC25-870-370.

L. Reporting requirements.

1. The state permittee shall give notice to the department as soon as possible of any planned physical alterations or additions to the permitted facility. Notice is required only when:

a. The alteration or addition to a permitted facility may meet one of the criteria for determining whether a facility is a new source in 9VAC25-870-420 A; or

b. The alteration or addition could significantly change the nature or increase the quantity of pollutants discharged. This notification applies to pollutants that are not subject to effluent limitations in the state permit.

2. The state permittee shall give advance notice to the department of any planned changes in the permitted facility or activity that may result in noncompliance with state permit requirements.

3. State permits are not transferable to any person except in accordance with 9VAC25-870-620.

4. Monitoring results shall be reported at the intervals specified in the state permit.

a. Monitoring results must be reported on a Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) or forms provided or specified by the department.

b. If the state permittee monitors any pollutant specifically addressed by the state permit more frequently than required by the state permit using test procedures approved under 40 CFR Part 136 or as otherwise specified in the state permit, the results of this monitoring shall be included in the calculation and reporting of the data submitted in the DMR or reporting form specified by the department.

c. Calculations for all limitations that require averaging of measurements shall utilize an arithmetic mean unless otherwise specified in the permit.

5. Reports of compliance or noncompliance with, or any progress reports on, interim and final requirements contained in any compliance schedule of the state permit shall be submitted no later than 14 days following each schedule date.

6. If any unusual or extraordinary discharge including a bypass or upset should occur from a facility and such discharge enters or could be expected to enter state waters, the state permittee shall promptly notify, in no case later than 24 hours, the department by telephone after the discovery of such discharge. This notification shall provide all available details of the incident, including any adverse effects on aquatic life and the known number of fish killed. The state permittee shall reduce the report to writing and shall submit it to the department within five days of discovery of the discharge in accordance with subdivision 7 a of this subsection. Unusual and extraordinary discharges include but are not limited to any discharge resulting from:

a. Unusual spillage of materials resulting directly or indirectly from processing operations;

b. Breakdown of processing or accessory equipment;

c. Failure or taking out of service of the treatment plant or auxiliary facilities (such as sewer lines or wastewater pump stations); and

d. Flooding or other acts of nature.

7. Twenty-four hour reporting.

a. The state permittee shall report any noncompliance which may endanger health or the environment. Any information shall be provided orally within 24 hours from the time the state permittee becomes aware of the circumstances. A written submission shall also be provided within five days of the time the state permittee becomes aware of the circumstances. The written submission shall contain a description of the noncompliance and its cause; the period of noncompliance, including exact dates and times, and if the noncompliance has not been corrected, the anticipated time it is expected to continue; and steps taken or planned to reduce, eliminate, and prevent reoccurrence of the noncompliance.

b. The following shall be included as information which must be reported within 24 hours under this subdivision:

(1) Any unanticipated bypass that exceeds any effluent limitation in the state permit.

(2) Any upset that exceeds any effluent limitation in the state permit.

(3) Violation of a maximum daily discharge limitation for any of the pollutants listed in the state permit to be reported within 24 hours.

c. The board may waive the written report on a case-by-case basis for reports under this subdivision if the oral report has been received within 24 hours.

8. The state permittee shall report all instances of noncompliance not reported under subdivisions 4, 5, 6, and 7 of this subsection, in writing at the time the next monitoring reports are submitted. The reports shall contain the information listed in subdivision 7 of this subsection.

9. Where the state permittee becomes aware that it failed to submit any relevant facts in a permit application, or submitted incorrect information in a state permit application or in any report to the department, it shall promptly submit such facts or information.

M. Bypass.

1. The state permittee may allow any bypass to occur that does not cause effluent limitations to be exceeded, but only if it also is for essential maintenance to assure efficient operation. These bypasses are not subject to the provisions of subdivisions 2 and 3 of this subsection.

2. Notice.

a. Anticipated bypass. If the state permittee knows in advance of the need for a bypass, it shall submit prior notice, if possible at least 10 days before the date of the bypass.

b. Unanticipated bypass. The state permittee shall submit notice of an unanticipated bypass as required in subdivision L 7 of this section (24-hour notice).

3. Prohibition of bypass.

a. Bypass is prohibited, and the board may take enforcement action against a state permittee for bypass, unless:

(1) Bypass was unavoidable to prevent loss of life, personal injury, or severe property damage;

(2) There were no feasible alternatives to the bypass, such as the use of auxiliary treatment facilities, retention of untreated wastes, or maintenance during normal periods of equipment downtime. This condition is not satisfied if adequate back-up equipment should have been installed in the exercise of reasonable engineering judgment to prevent a bypass that occurred during normal periods of equipment downtime or preventive maintenance; and

(3) The state permittee submitted notices as required under subdivision 2 of this subsection.

b. The board may approve an anticipated bypass, after considering its adverse effects, if the board determines that it will meet the three conditions listed in subdivision 3 a of this subsection.

N. Upset.

1. An upset constitutes an affirmative defense to an action brought for noncompliance with such technology based state permit effluent limitations if the requirements of subdivision 2 of this subsection are met. No determination made during administrative review of claims that noncompliance was caused by upset, and before an action for noncompliance, is final administrative action subject to judicial review.

2. A state permittee who wishes to establish the affirmative defense of upset shall demonstrate, through properly signed, contemporaneous operating logs, or other relevant evidence that:

a. An upset occurred and that the state permittee can identify the cause or causes of the upset;

b. The permitted facility was at the time being properly operated;

c. The state permittee submitted notice of the upset as required in subdivision L 7 b (2) of this section (24-hour notice); and

d. The state permittee complied with any remedial measures required under subsection D of this section.

3. In any enforcement proceeding the state permittee seeking to establish the occurrence of an upset has the burden of proof.

Historical Notes

Former 4VAC50-60-430 derived from Volume 21, Issue 03, eff. January 29, 2005; amended, Volume 29, Issue 04, eff. November 21, 2012; amended and renumbered, Virginia Register Volume 30, Issue 02, eff. October 23, 2013.

Statutory Authority

§§ 62.1-44.15:25 and 62.1-44.15:28 of the Code of Virginia.