Section 905.170  Servicing, Cleaning, Transporting and Disposing of Wastes from Private Sewage Disposal Systems

a)         General.  The collection, storage, transportation, and disposal of all septage shall be handled in accordance with this Section and in accordance with 40 CFR 503 – Standards for the Use or Disposal of Sewage Sludge.

b)         Truck Identification.  The name under which the business is conducted and the town of company origin and telephone number of the business shall be painted on each side of every pumper truck.  The company name shall be easily legible and the letters shall be at least 8 inches high in contrasting colors.

c)         Equipment Inspection.  Equipment shall be subject to inspection and approval by a representative of the Department or local authority at any reasonable time and, upon request, shall be available for inspection at a designated location.

d)         Vehicle Construction and Equipment.  Each vehicle used for collection and transportation of waste shall be equipped with a leakproof and tightly sealed tank for septage hauling.  The interior and exterior sections of all portable containers, pumps, hoses, tools, or other implements that have been contaminated shall be rinsed clean after each use and the rinsings shall be disposed of such that no health hazard or nuisance results. Trucks and tanks shall comply with the following:

1)         The vehicle shall be equipped with either a vacuum pump or other type of pump that is self-priming and will not allow any seepage from the diaphragm or other packing glands.

2)         The discharge nozzle shall be located so that there is no flow or drip onto any portion of the truck.

3)         The discharge nozzle shall be capped when not in use.

e)         Notification of Disposal Site.  Annually, the private sewage disposal system pumping contractor shall:

1)         Notify the Department and local authority of the sites utilized for disposal.  Information to be reported shall be:  county, township, range, and section, with a description to the nearest ¼ section; name and address of the owner of the property;  and purpose for which the disposal site is otherwise used, such as pasture, grain crops, mowing crops, or timber.

2)         Provide an annual estimate of the total gallons of septage disposed of at each site.

3)         Describe the methods of disposal at each site.

f)         Disposal Methods.  Methods of septage disposal approved by the Department are as follows:

1)         Discharge to a Municipal Sanitary Sewer System.  Discharge to a municipal sanitary sewer system is approved when the municipality has approval from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to receive septage from private sewage disposal systems; and the contractor has written approval from the municipality to discharge septage into the system.

2)         Application to Agricultural Land.  Septage may be applied to agricultural land provided the following criteria are met:

A)        The depth to the groundwater table or to fractured limestone formations is at least 4 feet below the ground surface.

B)        The septage is disposed of in the following manner:

i)          It originates from private sewage disposal systems that treat only domestic sewage as that term is defined in Section 3 of the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act [225 ILCS 225/3];

ii)         It is not applied to land that has been saturated by rainfall during the 24-hour period preceding the intended application time;

iii)        It is not applied to land with water ponded upon it;

iv)        It is not applied to land within 200 feet of wells, homes, the rim of a sink hole, underground mine, cave, tunnel, other water supplies, ponds or streams;

v)                  It is not applied to land having greater than 5% slope;

vi)               It is not applied to land that is intended to grow root vegetables, or other low growing fruits or vegetables that may be eaten raw;

vii)             It is applied at a rate that does not exceed the agronomic rate required by USEPA regulations (40 CFR 503);

viii)           It is applied from a vehicle moving at least one mile per hour (88 feet per minute);

ix)               Where it is determined by the Department or local authority that a nuisance condition (see Section 905.160(b)(1)) exists, then the septage shall be incorporated into the soil.

3)         Discharge to Sludge Lagoons or Sludge Drying Beds.  Discharge to a sludge lagoon or drying bed must be approved by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) (35 Ill. Adm. Code 309) or the owner/operator of the lagoon or drying bed must have a permit from the IEPA to receive septage from the contractor. If the contractor is going to construct a sludge lagoon or drying bed, a permit will be necessary from the IEPA to construct and operate the proposed facility.

4)         Discharge to an Incinerator Device.  Discharge of septage to an incinerator must be approved by the IEPA or the owner/operator of the incinerator must have a permit from the IEPA to receive septage from the contractor.

5)         Discharge to a Sanitary Landfill.  Discharge of septage to a sanitary landfill must be approved by the IEPA or the owner/operator of the landfill must have a permit from the IEPA to receive the septage from the contractor.

g)         Methods for the disposal of waste from portable toilets shall be as follows:

1)         Discharge to a Municipal Sanitary Sewer System.  Discharge to a municipal sanitary sewer system is approved from private sewage disposal systems when the contractor has written approval from the municipality to discharge septage into the system.

2)         Discharge to Sludge Lagoons or Sludge Drying Beds.  Discharge to a sludge lagoon or drying bed must be approved by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) (35 Ill. Adm. Code 309) or the owner/operator of the lagoon or drying bed must have a permit from the IEPA to receive septage from the contractor.  If the contractor is going to construct a sludge lagoon or drying bed, a permit will be necessary from the IEPA to construct and operate the proposed facility.

3)         Discharge to an Incinerator Device.  Discharge of septage to an incinerator must be approved by the IEPA or the owner/operator of the incinerator must have a permit from the IEPA to receive septage from the contractor.

4)         Discharge to a Sanitary Landfill.  Discharge of septage to a sanitary landfill must be approved by the IEPA or the owner/operator of the landfill must have a permit from the IEPA to receive the septage from the contractor.

h)         Other Wastes. The following shall not be disposed of by application to agricultural land:

1)         Waste from a portable toilet; and

2)         Holding tank waste as provided in Section 905.140(a)(4).

(Source:  Amended at 27 Ill. Reg. 3074, effective February 10, 2003)