Facility Compliance

• Overview
• Facility Analyst Assignments
• Nitrogen Optimization Plans
• Reported Sewer Overflow and Release Events 
• Industrial User Surveys
• Monitoring Report Forms
• Operation, Management and Emergency Response Plans
• Emergency Pollution Permits 
• Guidance Documents and Resources

Facility Analyst Assignments

Wastewater Inspector facility assignments are based on county.
To see a list of inspector facility assignments please visit our contact page.

Nitrogen Optimization Plans

All wastewater facilities discharging to the Long Island Sound (LIS) are required to have Nitrogen Optimization Plans (NOPs) included in their permit.  For questions and/or assistance with NOPs contact your WW Inspector.

• Nitrogen Optimization Checklist - this checklist is used by the program for evaluating submitted NOPs
• Long Island Sound

Reported Sewer Overflow and Release Events

Sewer overflows and release events have the potential to pose a threat to human and/or environmental health.

To view information about recent sewer overflow and release events that have been reported to the Wastewater Management Program, visit our Reported Sewer Overflow and Release webpage. The search criteria is auto-filled for the previous 30 days. To see additional (earlier) data, simply adjust the begin date. NOTE: There is no data available prior to January 1, 2007.

For more information on Reported Sewer Overflows and other Release events please visit the Notice of Untreated or Unpermitted Discharges page.

Combined Sewer Overflow Control Rule

Industrial User Surveys

An Industrial User (IU) Survey is a list of sources that discharge non-domestic wastewater to a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) with information about the character and volume of pollutants discharged.  This includes commercial, industrial, and other non-residential users of the sewer system, and sources of hauled waste, other than domestic septage, discharged at the POTW’s headworks or in the collection system. This does not include users discharging only domestic wastewater, such as residential homes and users discharging wastewater from bathrooms and kitchens only.

The purpose of an IU Survey is to identify and document the users discharging non-domestic wastewater and obtain information specific to each user’s wastewater discharge characteristics. This information allows POTWs to understand the quality and volume of wastewater received from its users; enables the POTW and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to evaluate how the user’s discharge could affect the WWTF and receiving water and the potential applicability of a Pretreatment Permit for that user; and supports the POTW in managing its WWTF capacity, by identifying users that require allocations for flow, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), or other pollutants of concern (POCs) established via technically based local limits.

DEC has developed the following interim guidance to assist POTWs in conducting IU Surveys voluntarily or by specific Department directive.

• Interim Industrial User Survey Guidance Document
• Interim Industrial User Survey Guidance Attachments A and B – Excel sheets

Operation, Management and Emergency Response Plans

In 2006, the Vermont Legislature passed legislation which created new discharge permit requirements for municipal wastewater treatment facilities. That legislation (Act 154) became effective on July 1, 2007 and requires all municipal wastewater treatment facilities to prepare and implement an Operation, Management and Emergency Response (OMER) Plans (also known as Sewage Spill Prevention Plans), which have two principle components:

1. treatment facility, pumps stations and stream crossing; and
2. collection systems.

In an effort to help municipalities comply with this new requirement the Wastewater Management Program teamed with the Green Mountain Water Environment Association (GMWEA) to develop guidance for preparing OMER Plans:

• Guidance for Preparation of Plans to Prevent Sewage Spills (OMER Plan)
• Guidance checklist - OMER Attachment A - WWTF
• Guidance checklist - OMER Attachment B - Pump Stations
• Guidance for OMER/Sewage Spill Prevention Plans - Collection Systems
• 2007 GMWEA Guidance for Sewage Spill Prevention Plans - determining "elements prone to failure"
• Below are examples of an OMER Plan and components:  
  • Example OMER Plan with Attachment A (List 1)
  • Example OMER Plan with Attachment A (List 1) (MS Word)
  • Example OMER Plan - Attachment B (WWTF plan)
  • Example OMER Plan - Attachment C (collection system plan)
  • Example OMER Plan - Attachment D (notification lists)

Monitoring Report Forms

• WR-43 Reporting Forms: (these links will download the appropriate Excel file)   0,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  14
  
  • Aerated Lagoon Facilities - forms  3,  4,  5
  • Small Activated Sludge Facilities - forms  3,  6,  7
  • Large Activated Sludge Facilities - forms  2,  3,  8,  9
  • Fixed Film (RBC, trickling filters) Facilities - forms  2,  3,  10,  11

Total Phosphorus forms for permits subject to the 2016 Lake Champlain TMDL:

• WR-43-TP Total Phosphorus monitoring worksheet

Total Phosphorus forms for permits issued before the 2016 Lake Champlain TMDL:

• Phosphorus Loading Spreadsheet for tracking annual Total Phosphorus
• WR-43-PO4 Form

Other monitoring forms:

• WR-43-TN Total Nitrogen Monitoring Report Form
• WR-43-TN Total Nitrogen Monitoring Report Form (MS Excel)
• WR-43-CM Constituents Monitoring Report Form for POTWs
• WR-43-CM Constituents Monitoring Report Form for POTWs (fill-in form)
• WR-43-ID-3 Permit Monitoring Information Form
• WR-43-ID-3 Permit Monitoring Information Form (MS Excel)
• WR-43-3-9004 Discharges from Petroleum Related Remediation Activities (also used for reporting requirements of 3-9016 authorizations)

To request paper forms, please contact Mari Cato (802-490-6105).

Emergency Pollution Permits

• Schedule E: Emergency Pollution Permit WR-82E in PDF
• Schedule E: Emergency Pollution Permit WR-82E in MS Word

Guidance Documents and Resources

• Lake Champlain TMDL Implementation and Wastewater Treatment Plants: FAQ
• Written Guidance for Preparation of Emergency Action - Electric Power Failure Plans
• Guidelines for Wastewater Treatment Inspection Ratings
• Basis of Final Design Guidance Document
• Guidance for Establishing Influent and Effluent Sampling Locations - March 21, 2007
• Written Guidance For Preparation of Plans to Prevent Sewage Spills - August 13, 2007

Additional Resources:  

• Vermont Rural Water Association (VRWA)
• Green Mountain Water Environment Association (GMWEA)
• Efficiency Vermont 
• New England Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC)
• New England Water Environment Association (NEWEA)
• Water Environment Federation (WEF)

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