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DEP Nuts and Bolts

DEP Nuts and Bolts. Mike Loughlin Division of Water Quality Management. MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Protecting Maine’s Air, Land and Water. DEP Nuts and Bolts. Common questions about DEP Who is who and what do you do? Common mistakes Some helpful hints to avoid them

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DEP Nuts and Bolts

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  1. DEP Nuts and Bolts Mike Loughlin Division of Water Quality Management MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Protecting Maine’s Air, Land and Water

  2. DEP Nuts and Bolts • Common questions about DEP • Who is who and what do you do? • Common mistakes • Some helpful hints to avoid them • Common problems • Some helpful hints to avoid them MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  3. DEP Organization MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  4. Bureau of Water Quality Organization MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  5. DEPRegions MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  6. Brian Kavanah – Is now the new Director of the Bureau of Water Quality (Micky Kuhn’s old job). Gregg Wood – Is now the new Director of the Division of Water Quality Management (Brian Kavanah’s old job). Water Quality News MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  7. David Bowie – Is the new Compliance Inspector in the Augusta Office. Kayleigh Sauda – Is the new Compliance Inspector in the Bangor Office. Water Quality News MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  8. Who are your Permit Writers? Superscript indicates level of operator certificate held MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  9. Permitting • You work with permitting to renew every 5 years. • Do you have to do anything to renew? • You should get a letter • Did you know you can modify or revise your permit before it is time to renew? • Do you know the difference between a modification or revision? MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  10. Permitting • Do you know the difference between a modification or revision? • Modification. A more substantial change to the permit that entails a change to limits, special conditions, or in some cases, monitoring frequency changes. • Revision. Correction of inadvertent typos, misspellings, etc. MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  11. Permitting • Modification • Requires formal General Application and public notice, abutter notification, etc. • Has a draft process same as renewal applications (including formal 30-day Public comment period) • Updates the entire Permit/License per any changes that may have happened since last renewal, not just what was requested (i.e. unintended consequences).  Contact Permitting ahead of time. • Revision • No formal application process, just send an email requesting change • No formal draft process or public process • Updates only the language requested MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  12. Who are your Enforcement Staff? MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  13. Enforcement • About 8 new cases a year • Some cases take more than a year to complete • Types of cases • 3-4 administrative consent agreements (ACA) • 3-4 notices of violation (NOV)a year MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  14. Enforcement • Most common reason for cases • Bad operator behavior • SSOs • Effluent violations & poor lab work • Record keeping including lab reports • Failure to report • Failure to maintain/plan/have good operations and maintenance • Which usually leads to SSOs MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  15. CSOsCombined Sewer Overflows • CSO coordinator - Michael Riley MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  16. Which is considered more serious from a public health/regulatory standpoint, a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) or a combined sewer overflow (CSO)? CSOs MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  17. Which is considered more serious from a public health/regulatory standpoint, a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) or acombined sewer overflow (CSO)? CSOs MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  18. Which Maine river received the most CSO discharge in 2018? a. Androscoggin River b. Penobscot River c. Saco River d. Kennebec River CSOs MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  19. Which Maine river received the most CSO discharge in 2018? a. Androscoggin River b. Penobscot River c. Saco River d. Kennebec River CSOs MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  20. Which of the following CSO communities had zero CSO discharge in 2018? a. Rockland b. Milford c. Paris Utility District d. Bucksport CSOs MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  21. Which of the following CSO communities had zero CSO discharge in 2018? a. Rockland b. Milford c. Paris Utility District d. Bucksport CSOs All 4. Good Job! MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  22. DEP Technical Assistance MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  23. DEP Technical Assistance • Net DMR signup • Detention Time Studies • Energy Use and Audits • Asset Management • Dissolved Oxygen Profiles • Clarifier Studies MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  24. DEP Technical Assistance • Lagoon Sludge Depth Determinations • Process Control • Staffing Plans • Customized Reporting • 49 forms MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  25. DEP Technical Assistance • DEP can help facilities with lab training • Laboratory Technique and QA/QC • Help understand the DMR-QA program MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  26. Who are your Compliance Inspectors? Superscript indicates level of operator certificate held. MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  27. Compliance • What does your compliance inspector do? • Visit at least once a year for an inspection? • Call you about DMRs? • Drink coffee? • I don’t know MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  28. Compliance • What your compliance inspector does • Inspect each facility at least once a year • We are field staff and are often not in the office. • Prepare a report on that inspection • Point out corrective actions • Track completion of corrective actions AND MORE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  29. Compliance • What your compliance inspector does • Review the DMRs • Compare the data to the report • Call when it does not match • Document and act on exceedances • Technical assistance • Review new permits / permit renewals AND MORE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  30. Compliance • What your compliance inspector does • Attend wastewater training events • Provide training • Investigate complaints • Answer questions from the public & regulated community AND MORE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  31. Compliance • What your compliance inspector does • Prepare LOWs and NOVs • Assist enforcement • Answer questions from EPA on ‘events’ • Get audited by the EPA • (Sometimes we do drink coffee) MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  32. Compliance • What kind of facilities do we inspect? • Municipal treatment facilities • Paper mills • Chemical manufacturers • Tank farms (petroleum) • Bio-solids processors AND MORE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  33. Compliance • More kinds of facilities we inspect • Hydroelectric powerplants • Natural gas electric powerplants • Trash to energy electric powerplants • Drinking water plants AND MORE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  34. Compliance • What kind of facilities do we inspect? • Seafood processors • Mussel packers • Blueberry processors • Potato processors • Canneries AND MORE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  35. Compliance • Still more kinds of facilities we inspect • Fish hatcheries (government and private) • Aquaculture - net pens • Aquaculture - land based systems • CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) AND MORE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  36. Compliance • Still more kinds of facilities we inspect • Campgrounds • Trailer parks • Prisons (they usually let us back out – eventually) • Overboard discharges (OBDs) MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  37. Compliance • Just how many facilities are there to inspect? • 399 MEPDES/WDL dischargers • 850 OBDs • Bill Johnson & summer interns MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  38. Compliance • What do we expect from operators and facilities? • Self monitoring is the backbone of the system. (We are seldom disappointed – thanks and well done). • Know the permit • Report when things go bad MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  39. Compliance • “My compliance inspector told me it was ok to…” • Did you get it in writing? • If it’s not in writing… it won’t hold water • If you disagree, always ask why • We do make mistakes sometimes MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  40. Non-Compliance review Committee Director of Water Quality Management Compliance and Technical Assistance Manager Regional Compliance Managers Water Enforcement Manager Wastewater Licensing Unit Manager ComplianceWhat is the NCR Committee? MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  41. The process used to determine what action is taken by the Department for non-compliance event by a facility A compliance inspector prepares a summary of the non-compliance for the committee. The summary includes: Information from the 24 hour report Information from the 5 day discharge incident report This is why a good 5 day report is really important In some cases information from an inspection / site visit A recommendation based the available information The decision is made by the group which helps to ensure balance and consistency throughout the regions ComplianceWhat is the NCR process? MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  42. Helpful Hints • Hints for preparing for an inspection • Read the last inspection report • Be sure the corrective actions are fixed • Even if they were fixed before and they broke again • Review the permit • Special conditions • Standard conditions MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  43. SSOs must be reported Use the New SSO report form Ask your inspector for a copy if you need it Report the volume Estimate if you have to Helpful HintsSSOs MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  44. IF you see “Error Warning” in RED on the first page Don’t submit it Look for the error If you can’t find the error ask your inspector for help Fix the error Helpful HintsToxics Sheets MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  45. And ask your inspector Helpful HintsMEPDES Permit Program Instructions for DMRs MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  46. Helpful HintsThe week calendar MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  47. Helpful HintsThe new discharge incident report MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  48. Helpful HintsDEP Web Site MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  49. Helpful HintsDEP Water Quality Web Site MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

  50. O & M news Other publications Helpful HintsDEP Water Quality Web Site MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION www.maine.gov/dep

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