Statutes, codes, and regulations
Virginia Administrative Code
Title 9 - ENVIRONMENTAgency 25 - STATE WATER CONTROL BOARDChapter 32 - VIRGINIA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (VPDES) PERMIT REGULATIONPart IX - Biosolids Program
Article 2 - Operational and Monitoring Requirements
Section 9VAC25-32-356 - Pollutant monitoring and limits

9 Va. Admin. Code § 25-32-356

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Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 22, June 17, 2024
Section 9VAC25-32-356 - Pollutant monitoring and limits
A. Bulk biosolids or biosolids sold or given away in a bag or other container shall be monitored for the parameters identified in Table 1 of this section:

TABLE 1 PARAMETERS for BIOSOLIDS ANALYSIS(1)
Pollutant
Percent solids (%)
Volatile solids (%)
pH (standard units)
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (%)
Ammonia nitrogen (%)
Nitrates (mg/kg)
Total phosphorus (%)
Total potassium (%)
Alkalinity as CaCO3 (mg/kg)(2)
Arsenic (mg/kg)
Cadmium (mg/kg)
Copper (mg/kg)
Lead (mg/kg)
Mercury (mg/kg)
Molybdenum (mg/kg)
Nickel (mg/kg)
Selenium (mg/kg)
Zinc (mg/kg)
(1)Values reported on a dry weight basis unless indicated. (2)Lime treated biosolids (10% or more lime by weight) shall be analyzed for percent CaCO3.

B. Biosolids pollutant limits.
1. Bulk biosolids or biosolids sold or given away in a bag or other container shall not be applied to the land if the concentration of any pollutant in the biosolids exceeds the ceiling concentration for the pollutant in Table 2 of this section.
2. If bulk biosolids is applied to agricultural land, forest, a public contact site, or a reclamation site, either:
a. The cumulative loading rate for each pollutant shall not exceed the cumulative pollutant loading rate for the pollutant in Table 3 of this section; or
b. The concentration of each pollutant in the biosolids shall not exceed the concentration for the pollutant in Table 4 of this section.
3. If bulk biosolids is applied to a lawn or a home garden, the concentration of each pollutant in the biosolids shall not exceed the concentration for the pollutant in Table 4 of this section.
4. If biosolids is sold or given away in a bag or other container for application to the land, either:
a. The concentration of each pollutant in the biosolids shall not exceed the concentration for the pollutant in Table 4 of this section; or
b. The product of the concentration of each pollutant in the biosolids and the annual whole sludge application rate for the biosolids shall not cause the annual pollutant loading rate for the pollutant in Table 5 of this section to be exceeded. The procedure used to determine the annual whole sludge application rate is presented in subsection D of this section.
C. Pollutant concentrations and loading rates - biosolids.

TABLE 2 CEILING CONCENTRATIONS
Pollutant Ceiling Concentration (milligrams per kilogram)*
Arsenic 75
Cadmium 85
Copper 4,300
Lead 840
Mercury 57
Molybdenum 75
Nickel 420
Selenium 100
Zinc 7,500
*Dry weight basis

TABLE 3 CUMULATIVE POLLUTANT LOADING RATES(1)
Cumulative Pollutant Loading Rate
Pollutant (kilograms per hectare) (pounds per acre)
Arsenic(2) 41 36
Cadmium 39 35
Copper 1,500 1,340
Lead 300 270
Mercury 17 16
Molybdenum(2)
Nickel 420 375
Selenium 100 89
Zinc 2,800 2,500
Notes:(1)Such total applications to be made on soils with the biosolids/soil mixture pH adjusted to 6.0 or greater if the biosolids cadmium content is greater than or equal to 21 mg/kg. The maximum cumulative application rate is limited for all ranges of cation exchange capacity due to soil background pH in Virginia of less than 6.5 and lack of regulatory controls of soil pH adjustment after biosolids application ceases. (2)The maximum cumulative application is currently under study by USEPA. Research suggests that for Molybdenum a cumulative pollutant loading rate below 40 kg/hectare may be appropriate to reduce the risk of copper deficiency in grazing animals.

TABLE 4 POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS
Pollutant Monthly Average Concentration (milligrams per kilogram)*
Arsenic 41
Cadmium 39
Copper 1,500
Lead 300
Mercury 17
Molybdenum(1)
Nickel 420
Selenium 100
Zinc 2,800
*Dry weight basis Note: (1) The monthly average concentration is currently under study by USEPA. Research suggests that a monthly average Molybdenum concentration below 40 mg/kg may be appropriate to reduce the risk of copper deficiency in grazing animals.

TABLE 5 ANNUAL POLLUTANT LOADING RATES (1)
Annual Pollutant Loading Rate (per 365-day period)
Pollutant (kilograms per hectare) (pounds per acre)
Arsenic (2) 2.0 1.8
Cadmium 1.9 1.7
Copper 75 67
Lead 15 13
Mercury 0.85 0.76
Molybdenum(2)
Nickel 21 19
Selenium 5.0 4.6
Zinc 140 125
Notes:(1)Such total applications to be made on soils with the biosolids/soil mixture pH adjusted to 6.0 or greater if the biosolids cadmium content is greater than or equal to 21 mg/kg. The maximum cumulative application rate is limited for all ranges of cation exchange capacity due to soil background pH in Virginia of less than 6.5 and lack of regulatory controls of soil pH adjustment after biosolids application ceases. (2)The maximum cumulative application is currently under study by USEPA.

D. Procedures to determine the annual whole sludge application rate (AWSAR) for biosolids. Subdivision B 4 b of this section requires that the product of the concentration for each pollutant listed in Table 4 of this section in biosolids sold or given away in a bag or other container for application to the land and the AWSAR for the biosolids not cause the annual pollutant loading rate for the pollutant in Table 5 to be exceeded. This subsection contains that procedure used to determine the AWSAR for a biosolids that does not cause the annual pollutant loading rates (APLR) in Table 5 of this section to be exceeded.
1. The relationship between the APLR for a pollutant and the AWSAR for a biosolids is shown in equation (1):

EQUATION (1)
APLR = C X AWSAR X 0.001
APLR = Annual pollutant loading rate in kilograms per hectare per 365-day period
C = Pollutant concentration in milligrams per kilogram of total solids (dry weight basis)
AWSAR = Annual whole sludge application rate in metric tons per hectare per 365-day period (dry weight basis)
0.001 = A conversion factor

2. To determine the AWSAR, equation (1) is rearranged into equation (2):

EQUATION (2)
AWSAR = APLR/(C X 0.001)
AWSAR = Annual whole sludge application rate in metric tons per hectare per 365-day period (dry weight basis)
APLR = Annual pollutant loading rate in kilograms per hectare per 365-day period
C = Pollutant concentration in milligrams per kilogram of total solids (dry weight basis)
0.001 = A conversion factor

3. The procedure used to determine the AWSAR for a biosolids is presented below:
a. Analyze a sample of the biosolids to determine the concentration for each of the pollutants listed in Table 4 of this section in the biosolids.
b. Using the pollutant concentrations from subdivision 3 a of this subsection and the APLRs from Table 5 of this section, calculate an AWSAR for each pollutant using Equation (2) above.
c. The AWSAR for the biosolids is the lowest AWSAR calculated in subdivision 3 b of this subsection.

9 Va. Admin. Code § 25-32-356

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 29, Issue 24, eff. September 1, 2013.

Statutory Authority

§ 62.1-44.15 of the Code of Virginia.