The Municipal Primer wastewater - Connecticut€¦ · · 2008-09-24construction and operation of...

The Municipal

PrimerYour Guide to

Creating a"Green and Growing"

Community

Gina McCarthyCommissioner

WastewaterPlanning andManagement

Pictured — Wastewater Treatment Plant,

Jewett City, Connecticut

Photo: CT DEP

Wastewater ManagementWastewater is generated in every municipality and there are different approaches to its management.The issues surrounding how sewage, or wastewater, is managed are very complex and have significantimplications for landscape stewardship and responsible growth. Higher densities of development thatmay be supportive of responsible growth require more intensive wastewater management. Conversely,the availability of more intensive wastewater management systems can increase pressure for more densedevelopment, sometimes in areas that may be sensitive to development for other reasons.

Municipalities are responsible for planning and managing, or making arrangements to manage, thewastewater generated within their boundaries. Solutions to municipal wastewater management are not“one size fits all” and optimal approaches vary by municipality and situation. Wastewater treatmentapproaches can generally be separated into two categories: 1) centralized sewer systems (e.g., municipalwastewater/sewage treatment plants); and 2) decentralized systems (e.g., individual on-site septicsystems and/or community sewerage systems*).

Another variable in wastewater planning is the technology selected for treatment, which can range fromtraditional to alternative technologies. Specific municipal situations may call for the use of only one ofthese approaches or technologies; however, it is more likely that a combination of approaches andtechnologies will be appropriate for managing wastewater generated within municipal boundaries.

The CT DEP and the CT Department of Public Health share regulatory (permitting) responsibility forwastewater management in Connecticut.

To aid in coordination between municipal wastewater management efforts and the CT DEP, this sectionof The Municipal Primer provides fact sheets on:

• Municipal Wastewater Management Planning

• Wastewater Management Approaches

• Regulating Wastewater at the State Level

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* “community sewerage system” is defined in statute to mean “any sewerage system serving two ormore residences in separate structures which is not connected to a municipal sewerage system or whichis connected to a municipal sewerage system as a distinct and separately managed district or segment ofsuch system” (CGS Section 7-245(3)).

The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Introduction to Wastewater Management

Municipal Wastewater Management PlanningDescription

CT DEP uses “sewage” and “wastewater”interchangeably. “Sewage” is defined in theConnecticut General Statutes to mean “humanand animal excretions and all domestic andsuch manufacturing wastes as may bedetrimental to public health (CGS Section 22a-423).

Municipal Connection

A municipality is responsible for managing thewastewater generated within its boundaries.

Municipal Responsibility

Through their Water Pollution ControlAuthority (WPCA), municipalities areresponsible for managing, or makingarrangements to manage, the wastewatergenerated within their boundaries. For ruraltowns, this responsibility may require only thedevelopment and implementation of a waterpollution control plan. However, mostmunicipalities have more complex wastewatermanagement needs and their responsibilitiesare correspondingly more complex.

Statutory Citations

CGS Sections 7-245 through 7-273a

CGS Section 22a-416(b)

Discussion

Wastewater is generated in every city andtown, and each municipality is responsible forplanning and managing, or makingarrangements to manage, the wastewatergenerated within its boundaries (CGS Sections7-245 through 7-273a). In most municipalities,this responsibility lies with the local WaterPollution Control Authority. In many instances,managing wastewater will involve theconstruction and operation of a municipalwastewater treatment facility. In other cases, itwill involve reliance on individual, on-siteseptic systems. In most municipalities,however, wastewater is managed through a

combination of a municipal facility and on-siteseptic or other wastewater managementsystems.

Water Pollution Control PlansMunicipalities should plan for wastewatermanagement and a key authority in this effortis the ability to prepare a Water PollutionControl Plan (WPCP)(CGS Section 7-246). AWPCP is a strategic plan that summarizeswastewater management issues in amunicipality, and sets forth general goals andobjectives and specific implementationmeasures. While such plans are not mandatory,they do provide for more orderly wastewatermanagement. For non-sewered areas, theWPCA should develop a WPCP that describesthe means by which municipal programs arecarried out to avoid community wastewaterpollution problems. A WPCP must identifyareas with existing or planned sewer service, aswell as areas where the municipality wants toavoid the installation of municipal sewers. TheWPCP must also identify where “communitysewerage systems”1 and decentralizedwastewater management districts arespecifically allowed, and conversely,disallowed.

For some rural municipalities without existingmunicipal facilities, the development of aWPCP may be all that is necessary toadequately plan for wastewater management.Such a plan might include a goal of relyingsolely on individual, subsurface wastewatertreatment systems and include implementationmeasures consisting of the hiring of a qualifiedsanitarian and the establishment of a town-wide schedule for the inspection andmaintenance (pump-out) of each system.Coordination with local health officials duringthe development of this plan is stronglyrecommended.

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1 a community sewerage system is “any sewerage system servingtwo or more residences in separate structures which is notconnected to a municipal sewerage system or which isconnected to a municipal sewerage system as a distinct andseparately managed district or segment of such system” (CGSSection 7-245(3).

The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Municipal Wastewater Management Planning

Municipal Wastewater Management PlanningMunicipal Wastewater Facilities PlanFor most Connecticut municipalities,wastewater management issues are toocomplex to be adequately addressed solely by aWPCP. In these instances, the WPCP should besupplemented with a Municipal WastewaterFacilities Plan (MWFP). An MWFP (oftenreferred to as either a “facilities plan” or“engineering report/s”) is any documentproduced by or for a municipal WPCA thatrelates to the conveyance or treatment ofwastewater. A complete MWFP is often, butnot always, a series of documents that providea clear description of existing conditionsincluding identification of problem areas, ananalysis of alternatives and costs, and aWPCA’s long-term intentions for managingtheir wastewater disposal needs.

Sewer Service Area MapAn MWFP also typically includes a mapdelineating areas where sewer service exists oris planned, and areas where sewers are to beavoided. It may also identify decentralizedmanagement districts. as well as areas wherecommunity sewerage systems will be allowedor will be prohibited. Such a map is commonlycalled a “sewer service area map” (SSA map).Having an approved SSA map is a logical andnecessary planning tool that can be utilized notonly by the municipality for wastewatermanagement, but by the municipal planner, theplanning and/or zoning commission, economicdevelopment agency and other local officials toguide development to those areas most suitedfor more intensive use.

An SSA map must be consistent with the StatePlan of Conservation and Development (Planof C&D) to demonstrate eligibility for CleanWater Fund financing for any sewer extensionproject or proposed wastewater treatment plantupgrade costing more than $200,000. (Moreinformation on the Plan of C&D is availableon the Office of Policy and Management Website at: www.ct.gov/opm Select “Publications”at the top of the page then select “Physical &Natural Resources;” then Conservation andDevelopment. Policies Plan 2005-2010). If a

municipality’s SSA map is approved by CTDEP as part of the MWFP, such approvaldemonstrates consistency with the Plan ofC&D and can be a key to potential fundingthrough the Clean Water Fund.

The best time to develop an SSA map is whenthere is no large development pending thatrequires a change in the existing sewer service.Based on CT DEP’s experience, a reasonableschedule for SSA development is 6-9 monthsassuming it is an inclusive process thatinvolves all concerned parties, as discussedbelow.

Coordinating Planning EffortsThe provision of wastewater management,along with potable water availability, is a keymunicipal service that may influence landdevelopment patterns. In many cases, higherdensities of development can beaccommodated in areas where centralizedsewage treatment systems can provide a levelof treatment that meets state standards.Community sewerage and alternative treatmentsystems may or may not support relativelydense development. Individual, on-site septicsystems generally require more land area persystem, particularly where the water supply isprovided by on-site wells. Thus, reliance onindividual, on-site septic systems is often acontributing factor to sprawl.

Because of the significant land useimplications of wastewater treatment planning,each WPCA is strongly encouraged to conducttheir planning in a comprehensive way bycoordinating with all relevant municipaldepartments, agencies, boards andcommissions. It is especially important tocoordinate with the local health departmentand sanitarians, planning, zoning,conservation, inland wetlands andwatercourses, agriculture, historic preservation,and economic development commissions, themunicipal finance board, and the chief electedofficial. The local land use agencies shouldalso consider the MWFP and associated SSAmap in their planning efforts and these

Page 2 of 3 The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Municipal Wastewater Management Planning

www.ct.gov/opm

Municipal Wastewater Management Planningdocuments should become an integral part ofthe municipality’s plan of conservation anddevelopment.

CT DEP ReviewsIn addition to reviewing Municipal WastewaterManagement Plans, the CT DEP must reviewand approve all extensions and modificationsof wastewater conveyance facilities (sewersand pumping stations) and treatment facilitiesprior to the initiation of construction. Whensubmitted to CT DEP, the project designdocuments undergo a technical review forconsistency with standards established by theNew England Interstate Water PollutionControl Commission, and for consistency withConnecticut’s Plan of C&D prepared by the CTOffice of Policy and Management (OPM).

Potential CT DEP Permits, Registrationand/or Certifications

Wastewater Treatment Plant Discharge Permit

Wastewater Treatment Plant OperatorCertification

Approval of plans and specifications of allwastewater infrastructure

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is generally available forwastewater management planning. Follow thelink for “Water” atwww.ct.gov/dep/financialassistance.

Model Regulations for MunicipalConsideration

No.

Web Pages

www.ct.gov/dep Select “Programs andServices” at the top of the page, then select“Municipal Wastewater.”

Department of Public Healthwww.ct.gov/dph Select “EnvironmentalHealth” then follow the link for “SubsurfaceSewage (Septic Systems).”

Contact

Bureau of Water Protection and Land ReusePlanning and Standards DivisionMunicipal Facilities Section Phone: 860-424-3704

Page 3 of 3 The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Municipal Wastewater Management Planning

www.ct.gov/dph

www.ct.gov/dep

www.ct.gov/dep/financialassistance

Wastewater Management ApproachesDescription

Wastewater management approaches are waysto collect, treat and dispose of wastewater(sewage).


Municipal water pollution control authoritiescan utilize more than one approach towastewater management within their waterpollution control plan.


Municipalities are responsible for themanagement of wastewater generated withintheir boundaries.

Statutory Citations

CGS Sections 22a-416 through 22a-438



Discussion

On-site Wastewater ManagementSome municipalities rely entirely on on-sitesubsurface wastewater disposal without theestablishment of a district. This wastewatermanagement approach is suitable in areaswhere the development densities do not exceedthe soils’ ability to renovate and absorb thewastewater discharges. Small on-site septicsystems (those systems with capacity of lessthan 5,000 gallons per day) are regulatedthrough the local sanitarian or director ofhealth and the Connecticut Department ofPublic Health. Larger systems requireauthorization from the CT DEP.

Centralized Wastewater SystemsCentralized wastewater collection, treatmentand disposal systems typically include acollection system of pipes that conveywastewater to a single, large treatment system,often called a “sewage treatment plant.” Thereare approximately 90 Connecticutmunicipalities that operate publicly-owned

centralized wastewater systems. With anaverage life expectancy of 20 years, treatmentplants must periodically be rebuilt so theycontinue to meet the minimum nationalstandard of secondary treatment. In addition,many municipalities must modify or rebuildtheir plants to meet higher levels of treatment,called advanced treatment, in order to meet“fishable-swimmable” water quality standardsin the river receiving the discharge. Otherneeds that prompt system modificationsinclude correction of combined seweroverflows, and increasing the hydrauliccapacity of a plant and/or expanding the sewersystem to meet growth needs or to addressseptic system failures in existing developedareas. The newest identified need is nutrientremoval to protect Long Island Sound fromlow levels of dissolved oxygen which arethreatening fish and other aquatic life.

Decentralized Wastewater ManagementDistrictsDecentralized wastewater management districtsare an approach to managing wastewatercharacterized by multiple and scatteredsubsurface sewage treatment and disposalsystems. There are three types of wastewatersystems that can be used in a decentralizedapproach:

1) a conventional subsurface sewage treatmentand disposal system (conventional system), which consists of a house sewerconnected to a septic tank connected to a leaching field, along with any necessarypumps or siphons and any groundwater control system on which the operation ofthe leaching field is dependent;

2) a community subsurface sewage treatmentand disposal system (community system), is defined in statute as anysewerage system serving two or more residences in separate structures. Mostcommunity systems are not connected to a municipal sewerage system; however, somemay be part of a municipally-manageddecentralized wastewater managementdistrict; and

Page 1 of 3The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Wastewater Management Approaches

Wastewater Management Approaches3) an alternative subsurface sewage treatment

system (AT system), which is often designed for nutrient reduction (typicallynitrogen).

A decentralized wastewater managementdistrict can rely on one of these approaches orit can include a combination of conventionalsystems, community systems and alternativesystems.

Municipalities have authority to createdecentralized wastewater management districts,which are areas designated by the municipalitythrough a local ordinance. In order to establisha decentralized wastewater managementdistrict, there must be an engineering reportstating that the existing subsurface sewagedisposal systems may be detrimental to publichealth or the environment and thatdecentralized systems are required to correctthe problem. The engineering report must beapproved by the Commissioner of CT DEPwith concurrence by the Commissioner ofPublic Health, after consultation with the localdirector of health. Approval of decentralizedmanagement districts typically requires amunicipal commitment to upgrading individualsystems to a pre-determined standard, throughconventional septic systems, alternativetechnology, or both. A key to a successfuldistrict is the continued management by themunicipality.

The benefits of establishing decentralizedwastewater management districts include: newtools for improved management of new andexisting sewage systems; use of alternativetreatment technologies for remediation ofexisting problems; and the avoidance of large-scale infrastructure (centralized treatmentsystems). In some instances, decentralizedwastewater management may be a cost-effective way to address municipal wastewaterissues; however, in other instances installationand operation of a decentralized wastewatermanagement district may be as costly as acentralized wastewater system. Decentralizedalternatives require a substantial local

maintenance and management commitment inorder to be properly implemented. Theimplementation of such a district requires acoordinated effort between the local healthdepartment and the local water pollutioncontrol authority.

Regional Water Pollution ControlAuthoritiesUnder CGS Sections 22a-500 through 22a-519,two or more municipalities may create aregional water pollution control authority toprovide municipal wastewater services for eachof the constituent municipalities of the regionalauthority. The ownership and operation of themunicipal wastewater infrastructure belongs tothe regional authority and not the individualconstituent municipalities.

Potential CT DEP Permits, Registrationsand/or Certifications

Wastewater Discharge Permit


The CT DEP provides funding, as available, tomunicipalities for wastewater managementthrough the Clean Water Fund. Seewww.ct.gov/dep/financialassistance and select“Water.”


No.

Web Pages

www.ct.gov/dep Under “Programs andServices” at the top of the page, select “Water”then select “Regulating Water” on the rightnavigation bar, then select “Subsurface SewageTreatment and Disposal Systems / SepticSystems.”


Page 2 of 3 The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Wastewater Management Approaches

www.ct.gov/dph

www.ct.gov/dep


Wastewater Management ApproachesContact

Bureau of Water Protection and Land ReusePlanning and Standards DivisionMunicipal Facilities Section Phone: 860-424-3704

Page 3 of 3The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Wastewater Management Approaches

Description

“Sewage” is defined in state statute to mean“human and animal excretions and alldomestic and such manufacturing wastes asmay be detrimental to public health” (CGSSection 22a-423). CT DEP uses “sewage” and“wastewater” interchangeably.


A municipality is responsible for managing thewastewater generated within its boundaries.Planning for wastewater management willresult in frequent contact with the CT DEP andthe CT Department of Public Health (CTDPH).


Many activities related to municipalwastewater management require priorauthorization and/or approval from the CTDEP or the CT DPH.

Statutory Citation


Discussion

Although the CT DEP is responsible forregulating discharges to the waters of the state,including both surface waters andgroundwaters, it has delegated permittingauthority over household and smallcommercial subsurface disposal systems to theCommissioner of the Department of PublicHealth (CT DPH) and local sanitarians. Howthis responsibility is divided is dictated bystatute and is based on the type and size ofwastewater system proposed. In general,systems involving the discharge of less than5,000 gallons per day (gpd) of domesticsewage to any one lot are regulated by the CTDPH and/or the local director of health.

Systems with flows greater than 5,000 gpd areregulated by the CT DEP. Additionalinformation on the systems under CT DEP’sauthority can be found on CT DEP’sWastewater Web page (see below). Foradditional information on the CT DEPprograms that regulate subsurface disposalsystems, please refer to the section of TheMunicipal Primer titled: Guide to CT DEPPermits, License and Other Authorizations.

Potential CT DEP Permits, Registrationsand/or Certifications

Wastewater Discharge Permit

Approval of plans and specifications of allwastewater infrastructure


The CT DEP provides funding, as available,for municipal wastewater management throughthe Clean Water Fund. Seewww.ct.gov/dep/financialassistance and select“Water.”


No.

Web Pages

www.ct.gov/dep Under “Programs andServices” at the top of the page, select “Water”then select “Regulating Water” on the leftnavigation bar, then “Subsurface SewageTreatment and Disposal Systems / SepticSystems.”


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Regulating Wastewater at the State Level

The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Regulating Wastewater at the State Level

www.ct.gov/dph

www.ct.gov/dep


Regulating Wastewater at the State LevelContacts

Systems regulated by CT DEP

• Centralized/municipal wastewater collectionand treatment systems

Bureau of Water Protection and Land ReusePlanning and Standards DivisionMunicipal Facilities SectionPhone: 860-424-3704

• Conventional septic systems with designflows greater than 5000 gallons per day,including sites where multiple smallersystems on a single “lot” have a combinedflow greater than 5000 gallons per day

• Community sewerage systems*

• Any sewerage system utilizing alternativetreatment technology, regardless of size

Bureau of Materials Management andCompliance Assurance

Permitting and Enforcement DivisionSubsurface Disposal ProgramPhone: 860-424-3018

* “community sewerage system” is defined in statute to mean“any sewerage system serving two or more residences inseparate structures which is not connected to a municipalsewerage system or which is connected to a municipal seweragesystem as a distinct and separately managed district or segmentof such system” (CGS Section 7-245(3).

Contact

Systems where regulation is delegated toothers

• Conventional septic system with design flowgreater than 2000 gallons per day but lessthan 5000 gallons per day

DPH Sewage Program860-509-7296

• Conventional septic system with design flowless than 2000 gallons per day

Local health department in the town the siteis located

Page 2 of 2 The Municipal Primer Your Guide to Creating a “Green and Growing” CommunityWastewater Planning and Management/Regulating Wastewater at the State Level

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