(1) Facilities.

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    (a) New wastewater facilities and modifications of existing facilities shall be designed in accordance with sound engineering practice. General technical documents are provided by references listed under Fl. Admin. Code R. 62-600.300
    (b) For new facilities and modifications of existing facilities, it shall be the design objective to select treatment processes and equipment that will efficiently and reliably meet required reclaimed water or effluent limitations. Unless otherwise stated, new or modified wastewater treatment and biosolids treatment, handling, and dewatering facilities shall provide Class III reliability as described in the EPA publication “”Design Criteria for Mechanical, Electric, and Fluid System and Component Reliability – MCD-05, EPA-430/99-74-001,”” adopted and incorporated in Fl. Admin. Code R. 62-600.300(2)(l), effective January 16, 2022, http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13946. The minimum Class III reliability requirement shall only apply to the new or modified portions of the facilities. Facility reliability shall be addressed in the preliminary design or engineering report as required by subsection 62-620.410(3), F.A.C. The Department shall approve other methods of providing Class I, II, or III reliability if the permittee provides reasonable assurances in the preliminary design report that the level of reliability provided is equivalent to the class of reliability required (i.e., Class I, II, or III, whichever applies).
    (c) Innovative or alternative treatment processes for facilities shall be reviewed on their merit. When sufficient supporting information has been presented to the Department, installation may be allowed on an experimental basis for the period of time necessary to evaluate the new technology. A permit shall not be issued unless the permittee has provided supporting information which demonstrates to the Department that the technology is capable of consistently and reliably producing effluent or reclaimed water meeting the requirements of this chapter.
    (2) Plant Sites.
    (a) New treatment plants and modifications to existing plants shall be designed and located on the site so as to minimize adverse effects resulting from odors, noise, aerosol drift and lighting. The permittee shall give reasonable assurance that the treatment plant or modifications to an existing plant shall not cause odor, noise, aerosol drift or lighting in such amounts or at such levels that they adversely affect neighboring residents, in commercial or residential areas, so as to be potentially harmful or injurious to human health or welfare or unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life or property, including outdoor recreation. Reasonable assurance may be based on such means as aeration, landscaping, treatment of vented gases, buffer zones owned or under the control of the permittee, chemical additions, prechlorination, ozonation, innovative structural design or other similar techniques and methods. All such design measures shall be included in the preliminary design or engineering report.
    (b) All treatment plant sites shall be enclosed with a fence or otherwise designed with appropriate features that discourage the entry of animals and unauthorized persons.
    (c) The potential for damage or interruption of operation because of flooding shall be considered by the permittee when siting new treatment plants and expansions of existing plants at inland or coastal locations. The treatment plant structures essential for the purpose of treating, stabilizing, conveying, or holding incompletely treated waste and electrical and mechanical equipment shall be protected from physical damage by the 100-year flood. The treatment plant shall be designed to remain fully operational and accessible during the 25-year flood; lesser flood levels may be designed for, if justified in the preliminary design or engineering report based on local conditions, water surface elevations, forces arising from water movement, wave heights, flood protection measures provided, and provisions for wastewater storage such that applicable water quality standards will be met; but in no case shall less than a 10-year flood be used. Design for flood protection shall include considerations for wave action as appropriate. These flood protection considerations shall be addressed in the preliminary design or engineering report and shall be based upon available information; where site-specific information is unavailable, sound engineering practices shall be used in siting and design of treatment plant facilities.
Rulemaking Authority 403.051, 403.061, 403.086, 403.087, 403.088 FS. Law Implemented 403.021, 403.051, 403.061, 403.062, 403.086, 403.087, 403.088 FS. History-New 11-27-89, Amended 1-30-91, 6-8-93, Formerly 17-600.400, Amended 12-24-96, 2-8-16, 1-16-22.