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Policy Area

ESH-Environment Safety & Health

Procedure Number

ESH100.2.ENV.6

Procedure Title

Control Discharges to the Sanitary Sewer System

Procedure Manager

COOPER, TERRY W.

Status

Active

Subject Matter Expert

  • Joseph Martin Mauser (Joe)
  • Robert C. Holland (CA)

 

Applicability, Exceptions, and Consequences

This corporate procedure applies to all Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) organizations, all management elements, all SNL sites, and all Members of the Workforce.

Remote facilities such as TTR and KTF are also governed by all local control ordinances when discharging wastewater. For guidance, Members of the Workforce at these sites should call the water quality contact for discharge permits.

Exceptions to, or deviations from, this procedure must be approved through the Executive Policy Sponsor or Policy Area Manager, if delegated. Click here to view Contacts for Corporate Policy System Policies, Processes, and Procedures. See CG100.1.7, Request an Exception to a Policy, Process, or Procedure, for directions on how to obtain an exception to this procedure.

Granting or permitting exceptions or violations of policy, process, or procedure without authority, regardless of position or title, may be cause for disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. Violating a policy, process, or procedure may be cause for disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: A printed copy of this document may not be the document currently in effect. The official version is located on the Sandia National Laboratories Sandia Restricted Network (SRN).

Procedure Overview

This procedure addresses wastewater discharge, including permits, prohibitions and reporting requirements.

Procedure Requirements

Wastewater Discharge Permits and Documentation

Activity Responsible Individual Required Action
Obtain Permission to Discharge Wastewater Members of the Workforce
  • Submit documentation to your water quality contact for discharge permits and request written approval for all process discharges. Include in the documentation the amount, frequency, location, composition, and process associated with a discharge to the sanitary sewer system, except for sanitary waste.
  • To obtain one-year, site-specific approval to discharge to the sanitary sewer system or to discharge a new or altered wastewater stream— including wastewater streams that have been altered as a result of connecting or modifying any process equipment or activity that discharges to the sanitary sewer system—.provide details to the water quality contact on all new and existing processes that discharge or have the potential to discharge to a publicly-owned treatment works (POTW). Note: This information is compiled and submitted to the regulatory control authority, which analyzes the submittal and establishes limits and prohibitions on pollutants that may disrupt the operation of the POTW. See ESH100.2.ENV.6 under Implementing Tools below.
  • Before beginning new processes, obtain through the water quality contact for discharge permits the appropriate regulatory agency approval for wastewater discharges.
  • Maintain copies of discharge approvals and pertinent environmental permits and document your processes to show compliance with permit requirements. Examples of such documentation include:
    • Technical work documents describing the process.
    • Operational logs documenting process discharges.

Liquid Effluent

Activity Responsible Individual Required Action
Discharge Contents of LECS Holding Tanks Members of the Workforce
  • Do not discharge or dispose of the contents of SNL's Liquid Effluent Control System (LECS) holding tanks until they have been screened for pH and specific contaminants, such as radioactive materials or metals.
  • Consult the discharges standards screening contact and refer to Table 1 below for disposal options.
Discharge Contents of LECS Holding Tanks Members of the Workforce at SNL/CA Only Members of the Workforce who work in the Environmental Monitoring Program are authorized to discharge LECS holding tanks.

Table 1. Disposal Options for Liquid Effluent Control System Holding Tanks

If Tank Contents ... Then...
Meet site discharge limits Contents are released to the site's main sanitary sewer system.
Contain pollutants above discharge limits, but below hazardous waste criteria Disposal is determined on a case-by-case basis at each site.
Meet hazardous waste criteria Contents are handled and disposed of as appropriate through the waste pickup, hazardous contact.

Discharge Limitations and Prohibitions

Activity Responsible Individual Required Action
Discharge Other Wastewater Members of the Workforce
  • Notify the water quality contact for approval before discharging process water with any pollutants that can interfere with or disrupt the operation or performance of a publicly-owned treatment works (POTW). Note: For examples of pollutants and the New Mexico and California POTW standards that apply to them, refer to ESH100.2.ENV.6 under Implementing Tools below.
  • Do not discharge wastewater that contains pollutants such as heavy metals or other toxic substances in excess of regulatory limits, as indicated in ESH100.2.ENV.6 under Implementing Tools. Call the water quality contact for discharge guidance.
  • Do not discharge wastewater with water added for the sole purpose of diluting or reducing the concentration of pollutants for discharge.
Discharge Other Wastewater Members of the Workforce at SNL/CA
  • Do not discharge cooling water, storm water, reject water, any kind of unpolluted water, or any combination of these kinds of water in quantities greater than 2500 gallons per day without prior approval from the water quality contact.
  • Notify the water quality contact of all discharges that exceed 1000 gallons per day.

One-Time or Batch Discharges

Activity Responsible Individual Required Action
Arrange for an Evaluation Mangers Call the water quality contact to arrange an evaluation of one-time or batch discharges, which shall be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the release is acceptable under current regulatory requirements or if it must be reported as an occurrence.

Reporting Spills and Accidental Releases

Activity Responsible Individual Required Action
Report Spills and Accidental Releases Members of the Workforce
  • Report spills and accidental releases to the sanitary sewer system immediately according to requirements in ESH100.4.RPT.4, Report Environmental Releases.
  • Coordinate these reports with the water quality, wastewater contact, who will transmit the reports to DOE. DOE will then submit reports to the appropriate regulators.

 

Implementing Tools

Guidance

  • Guidance on Controlling Discharges to the Sanitary Sewer System

Link

  • http://info.sandia.gov/esh/water_quality_prgrm/water_quality.htm

Requirement Drivers (Prime Contract Baseline Directives)

DOE O 450.1A

Additional Drivers

  • DOE N 456.1, The Safe Handling of Unbounded Engineered Nanoparticles.
  • Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, Sewer Use and Wastewater Control Ordinance.
  • City of Livermore Municipal Code, Chapter 13.32, Wastewater Collection and Treatment System.
  • 10 CFR 851.26(a)(1), Worker Safety and Health Program, "Recordkeeping and Reporting."
  • Radiation Protection, 20.3 NMAC (New Mexico Administrative Code).
  • Water Quality, 20.6 NMAC (New Mexico Administrative Code).

 

Related Processes and Procedures

Process

  • ESH100.2, Analyze and Control Hazards.

Procedures

Change Summary

Date Summary
01/18/2012

Administrative

Modified

  • Changed subject matter expert from Adrian Jones to Joe Mauser. (Contacts)
  • Replaced SAPLE links for subject matter experts with direct links to e-mail for improved usability.
08/24/2011

Administrative

Modified

Updated a contact link that was missed in the changes made on 08/23/2011.
08/23/2011

Administrative

Modified

Updated contacts links to water quality contact, hazardous waste contact, and wastewater contact in Applicability & Exceptions and in Requirements and Instructions.
12/14/2010

Administrative

Modified

  • Updated SAPLE links to subject matter experts for system consistency.
  • Updated links to dictionary terms to term identification numbers for system consistency.
  • Removed extra blank line in Applicability field.
  • Un-merged merged cells for display consistency.
07/20/2010

Administrative

Added

Added a website link to Forms, Links, & Tools.
07/12/2010

Administrative

Modified

Updated hyperlinks to SMEs.
 05/13/2010

Administrative

Modified

Corrected and updated hyperlinks to "Additional Drivers."