Liquid Wastes That Are Not Septage
Introduction
We have had several incidents in which liquid wastes mixed with domestic septage were disposed of at a septage land application site. As you are aware, septage disposal at these sites is regulated through Chapter 420, Septage Management Rules. The standards in this rule for locating and operating a septage disposal facility were designed to protect against the hazards in domestic septage. The standards were not designed to handle other pollutants that may be in liquid waste from a commercial or industrial facility. For this reason, Chapter 420 specifically prohibits land application of any septage that has anything in it other than what is found in residential wastewater. Some of the facilities that the Department has found to produce wastewater's that are not septage are:
| Airports |
Auto repair shops |
| Car washes |
Department stores discharging floor wax |
| Dry Cleaners |
Funeral Homes |
Metal fabricators, metal platers and electronic parts manufactures
|
Oil/water separators
|
| Photo processors |
Pest control & lawn care companies |
| Printer and silk screen operations |
Factories |
Responsibility of Transporters and Disposal Facilities
Septage transporters are responsible for verifying that the septage they pump is from a residential sources. Operators of septage sites are responsible for making sure that all septage disposed at a septage land-application site is from residential sources.
Before you pump a tank from a commercial or industrial location, be sure to contact the Department about what testing will have to be done on the wastewater, and where that waste can be disposed. Remember, it can take days or weeks to get analytical results back from the lab.
Land Application Site
If you think a liquid waste from a commercial or industrial facility is just the same as residential wastewater, it may be spread on licensed land application site only if, based on testing, the Department decides that pollutants are not in the wastewater. If you have questions on whether or not a specific waste may be spread on a septage land application site, contact one of the following people:
| Augusta Region |
Jim Pollock or Mark King |
207-287-2651 |
| Bangor Region |
Rick Haffner or Roger Johnstone |
207-941-4570 |
| Portland Region |
Mike Clark |
207-822-6300 |
| Presque Isle Region |
Jay Duncan |
207-764-0477 |
Sewage Treatment Plants
Sometimes septage mixed with commercial or industrial wastes can be disposed of at a sewage treatment. The Department specifies what each treatment plant can accept on a case- by- case basis. If you are planning to dispose of your waste at a treatment plant, be sure to call the plant before you pump the tank, to find what analysis they require before they can take the waste. If a waste is highly contaminated, it may need to be treated at a pre-treatment facility before it can be discharged to a sewage treatment plant.
If you have questions on whether or not a specific waste may be disposed of at a sewage treatment plant or pre-treatment facility, contact Greg Wood at 287-7693 or 287-3901.
Hazardous Wastes Handling
In some cases, liquid wastes may be classified as hazardous waste. State law provides that anyone who pumps, transports, or disposes of a hazardous waste without the proper hazardous waste license may be fined up to $50,000 per day, and may be imprisoned. If you have questions on whether or not a specific tank may be a hazardous waste, contact the Hazardous Waste Staff at 287-2651 before handling the waste in that tank.
