|
The Johnson County Environmental Department enforces sanitary sewer system regulations
through the authority granted in the Johnson County Code of Regulations for Sanitary Sewer Use,
2003 Edition. These regulations apply to all users of the public
sanitary sewers.
Industrial users regulated under Johnson County’s Industrial Pretreatment Program are
also subject to the requirements specified in the Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit
issued to them. Violations of the Permit typically fall into two categories,
"Reporting" and "Discharge." Reporting violations result from failing
to submit a required report, submitting an incomplete report, falsification of a report or
similar infractions. Discharge violations are incurred when wastewater monitoring indicates
that the industry has exceeded discharge limits for parameters specified in the permit.
Enforcement tools include, but are not limited to, actions such as telephone notifications,
Notices of Violation, Compliance Directives, Administrative Orders, and termination of services.
Administrative fines, civil penalties, and criminal prosecution are also tools of
enforcement. Enforcement tools are defined, and their use specified, in Johnson County’s
Industrial Pretreatment Program Enforcement Response Guide.
Compliance evaluations of regulated industrial users are performed semi-annually.
An industry will fall within one of the three following categories of compliance.
- Compliance: In compliance with all standards; no violations.
- Infrequent Noncompliance: Infrequent noncompliance with discharge standards; some
violations but not severe enough to be considered in significant noncompliance. In
compliance with all remaining standards as specified in 40 CFR 403.8(f)(2)(vii).
- Significant Noncompliance: Significant noncompliance with discharge standards,
reporting requirements, compliance schedule milestones, or other standards as specified in
40 CFR 403.8(f)(2)(vii). The most common determination of Significant
Noncompliance is due to violations of wastewater discharge limits. Wastewater discharge
violations are as follows:
- Chronic Violations: Defined as those in which sixty-six percent or more of
all the measurements taken during a six month period exceed (by any magnitude) the
daily maximum limit or the average limit for the same pollutant parameter.
- Technical Review Criteria (TRC) Violations: Defined as those in which
thirty-three percent or more of all of the measurements for each pollutant taken
during a six month period equal or exceed the product of the daily maximum limit or the
average limit multiplied by the applicable TRC (TRC = 1.4 for BOD, TSS, fats, oil and
grease, and 1.2 for other pollutants, except pH).
The names of industries found to be in Significant Noncompliance are published
annually, during the month of February, in the classified section of The Johnson County Sun
newspaper.
During year 2007, 97% of the industries regulated under the Industrial Pretreatment
Program were determined to be in Compliance or Infrequent Noncompliance.
Three percent fell
into the realm of Significant Noncompliance.
|
