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FAQs
- Q. Where can I access information concerning NPDES permit applications?
- A. Access to a list of NPDES permit applications.
-
- Q. Where can I obtain a copy of the NPDES Permits?
- A.
Searching for a permit
- Go to ADEQ Web Page at http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/home/pdssql/pds.asp
- Enter the permit number (for example ARR152090) in permit number box and click on search or other information
- Scroll down. You will see information in regard to the permit number you entered.
- Click on Permit number. You will see another page with the following information:
- View permit
- View Applications
- View Technical
- View Letters
- If you want to see “NOI” then click on “View Applications”.
- Click on “SW Construction Permit Notice of Intent”.
- If you click on the AFIN number then you will see a summary page for the permit.
- Q. Is there a current list of draft permits?
- A.
Yes. A list of draft permits can be found on the ADEQ Web site on the Search Permits at Public Notice.
- Q. Where can I obtain a copy of the Department’s water regulations?
- A.
Electronic copies of all ADEQ water regulations, Regulations 2,
6, and 8, are available for downloading on the ADEQ
Website Regulations Page. They are available in PDF File format.
- Q. Can I operate without a permit?
- A.
If you are required to have a permit and are operating wastewater
treatment system without a permit, you may be subject to legal action. You should
contact the Water Division’s Enforcement Branch and you must submit an application
and all information required for permit evaluation.
- Q. What documents do I initially submit to begin the process?
- A.
The documents for new, renewals and major modifications of permits
are listed below.
(Further explanations are outlined in the applicable instructions,
available on the Permit Applications Forms &
Instructions page of our Website.)
- NPDES permit applications
- An Area Map
- USGS Map
- Plot Plan
- Process Description
- Process Flow Diagram
- The design Calculations
- Wastewater Specifications
- Disclosure Statement
- Q. What happens when an application is submitted?
- A.
The NPDES permit application goes through two processes of review,
the administrative review and the technical review.
The administrative review determines that the permit application
contains all required attachments and signatures. An applicant will be notified
of what information is necessary for submission before a final decision can be reached
on the application. If information missing is small, such as the plot plan is reduced
too small, then a request is made by telephone to submit a clearer document and
then the application is determined complete. However, if the application contains
only a minimal amount of information, then a letter is mailed to the applicant describing
the deficiencies.
If it is a new application, a renewal, or a major modification and
has been determined complete, a public notice, with instructions for publication,
is mailed to the applicant. This notice simply informs the public that the facility
has submitted a permit application.
The technical review begins when an engineer is assigned
the application to perform a detailed technical review of the permit application.
If the application is lacking additional information to further review the application,
the engineer will mail a letter to the applicant describing the deficiencies. When
all information has been received and the engineer is satisfied, a draft permit
is prepared.
- Q. What can I do to expedite the permit application review process?
- A.
A common cause for delay in the permit application review process
is incomplete or missing forms and additional information (not requested in the
application forms) necessary for permit evaluation. The following briefly identifies
things you can do to expedite the permit application review process:
- Be clear with your requested change.
- Make sure all requested information is provided and all of the required application pages are submitted.
- Don't forget to sign and date the signature pages of the application and submit the originals.
- Include any necessary information such as design calculations, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), modeling reports, PPS test data, etc.
- Give prompt feedback if your assigned engineer has requested additional information.
- Periodically call your assigned engineer and inquire about the status of your application
- Q. What is the annual fee?
- A.
See Regulation 9, Section
9.404
- Q. What does an NPDES stand for?
- A.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System.
- Q. What is an NPDES permit?
- A.
The Clean Water Act prohibits anybody from discharging "pollutants"
through a "point source" into a "water of the United States"
unless they have an NPDES permit. The permit will contain limits on what you can
discharge, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other provisions to ensure
that the discharge does not hurt water quality or people's health. In essence, the
permit translates general requirements of the Clean Water Act into specific provisions
tailored to the operations of each person discharging pollutants.
- Q. What is a point source?
- A.
The term point source is also defined very broadly in the Clean
Water Act. It means any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance, such as a
pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, discrete fissure, or container. It also includes
vessels or other floating craft from which pollutants are or may be discharged.
By law, the term "point source" also includes concentrated animal feeding
operations, which are places where animals are confined and fed. By law, agricultural
stormwater discharges and return flows from irrigated agriculture are not "point
sources".
- Q. What is a Water of the State?
- A.
“Waters of the state” means all streams, lakes, marshes, ponds,
watercourses, waterways, wells, springs, irrigation systems, drainage systems, and
all other bodies or accumulations of water, surface and underground, natural or
artificial, public or private, which are contained within, flow through, or border
upon this state or any portion of the state.
- Q. What is a Water of the United States?
- A.
The term water of the United States" is also defined very broadly
in the Clean Water Act and after 25 years of litigation. It means navigable waters,
tributaries to navigable waters, interstate waters, the oceans out to 200 miles,
and intrastate waters which are used: by interstate travelers for recreation or
other purposes, as a source of fish or shellfish sold in interstate commerce, or
for industrial purposes by industries engaged in interstate commerce.
- Q. What is a pollutant?
- A.
The term pollutant is defined very broadly in the Clean Water Act.
It includes any type of industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged
into water. Some examples are dredged soil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage,
garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive
materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial,
municipal, and agricultural waste. By law, a pollutant is not sewage or discharges
incidental to the normal operation of an Armed Forces vessel, or water, gas, or
other material injected into an oil and gas production well.
- Q. How do NPDES permits protect waters of the state?
- A.
An NPDES permit will generally specify an acceptable level of a
pollutant or pollutant parameter in a discharge (for example, a certain level of
bacteria). The permittee may choose which technologies to use to achieve that level.
Some permits, however, do contain certain generic 'best management practices' (such
as installing a screen over the pipe to keep debris out of the waterway). NPDES
permits make sure that a state's mandatory standards for clean water and the federal
minimums are being met.
- Q. Do I need an NPDES permit?
- A.
It depends on where you discharge pollutants. If you discharge from
a point source into the waters of the State, you need an NPDES permit. If you discharge
pollutants into a municipal sanitary sewer system, you do not need an NPDES permit,
but you should ask the municipality about their permit requirements. If you discharge
pollutants into a municipal storm sewer system, you may need a permit depending
on what you discharge. You should ask the NPDES permitting authority.
- Q. Can the general public participate in NPDES permitting decisions?
- A.
Yes. The NPDES administrative procedures require that the public
be notified and allowed to comment on NPDES permit applications. When EPA authorizes
a state to issue NPDES permits, EPA requires that the state provide the public with
this same access. Local newspapers publish public notice of proposed permitting
actions. The public will have at least thirty days to review the permit and make
written comments about the permit conditions. The Arkansas Department of Environmental
Quality in Little Rock contain the current applications and permits for review by
the public. Additionally, these information may review on ADEQ web site at:
http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/water/branch_permits/general_permits/npdes/pnpermits/pnpermits.asp
- Q. Where do I apply for a NPDES permit?
- A.
NPDES permits are issued by Water Division of ADEQ. Please contact
NPDES Section of Water Division at 501-682-0622 or visit our web site at:
http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/water/default.htm
- Q. What Forms do I need to apply for a NPDES Permit?
- A.
It depends on what type of wastewater you discharge. Please visit
our web site at Permit Forms & Instructions
- Q. Are there instructions to assist in completing a water permit application?
- A.
Instructions are located with the application forms. Please contact
our Small Business for more information.
- Q. How are the conditions in NPDES permits enforced by the ADEQ?
- A.
There are various methods used to monitor NPDES permit conditions.
The permit will require the facility to sample its discharges and notify the state
of these results. In addition, the permit will require the facility to notify the
state regulatory agency when the facility determines it is not in compliance with
the requirements of a permit. The state regulatory agency also will send inspectors
to companies in order to determine if they are in compliance with the conditions
imposed under their permits.
Federal laws provide the state regulatory agency with various methods of
taking enforcement actions against violators of permit requirements. For
example, the state regulatory agency may issue administrative orders which
require facilities to correct violations and that assess monetary penalties.
Equally important is how the general public can enforce permit conditions.
The facility monitoring reports are public documents, and the general public
can review them through the state agency.
- Q. Is it legal to have wastewater coming out of a pipe into my local receiving water?
- A.
As long as the wastewater being discharged is covered by and
in compliance with an NPDES permit, there are enough controls in place to
make sure the discharge is safe and that humans and aquatic life are being
protected. To find out if a discharge is covered by an NPDES permit, call
the NPDES Section at 501-682-0622 or visit the ADEQ web site at
ADEQ - Water Div - Permits Branch.
- Q. How long are NPDES permits effective?
- A.
The Clean Water Act limits the length of NPDES permits to five years.
NPDES permits can be renewed (reissued) at any time after the permit holder applies.
In addition, NPDES permits can be administratively extended if the facility reapplies
more than 180 days before the permit expires.
- Q. How do I determine the “receiving waters” for my facility or site?
- A.
Refer to
www.topozone.com to obtain a map with nearby water bodies identified.
- Q. How do I contact in regard to Drinking Water Regulation?
- A.
Drinking water and septic tank are managed through Arkansas Department
of Health and Human Services (ADHHS). If your place of business provides drinking
water; if you’re planning new or improved drinking water or wastewater service through
a septic tank for your facility, you may need a permit from ADHHS. Please visit
the following web site for more information
http://www.healthyarkansas.com/eng/index.html.
- Q. How do I determine my facility’s Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code?
- A.
The SIC code system is maintained by the US Department of Labor,
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and is available for searching
at
www.osha.gov/oshstats/sicser.html.
- Q. Where do I send the DMRs?
- A. Send the DMRs to:
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
- Attention: Enforcement Section, Water Division
- 5301 Northshore Drive
- North Little Rock, AR 72118-5317
- Q. Who do I contact in regard to 404 permits and wetland?
- A.
- Q. Who do I contact in regard to 401 certification?
- A.
501-682-0645
- Q. Who do I contact in regard to Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP)?
- A.
- Mo Shafii
- NPDES Section, Water Division
- 5301 Northshore Drive
- North Little Rock, AR 72118-5317
- 501-682-0616
- Email: shafii@adeq.state.ar.us
- Q. Who do I contact in regard to Ground Water Protection Program?
- A.
- Roger Miller
- NPDES Section, Water Division
- 5301 Northshore Drive
- North Little Rock, AR 72118-5317
- (501) 682-0665
- Email: millerr@adeq.state.ar.us
- Q. Who do I contact in regard to Construction State Revolving Fund Loan Program?
- A.
Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC) administers the wastewater
State Revolving Fund Loan Program offering communities and sanitary districts low
interest loans for the construction of wastewater treatment and collection system
improvements. The Clean Water Act (CWA) Amendments of 1987 (Pub. L. 100-4) authorizes
the CWRLF program to assist public wastewater systems to finance the cost of infrastructure
needed to achieve and maintain compliance with CWA requirements and to protect public
health. Arkansas ACA §15-5-900 et. al. created the Construction Assistance Revolving
Loan Fund program. Should you have any questions regarding the CWSRF loan application
process.
- Q. What if I need an interpretation of a particular regulatory requirement?
- A.
- Q. I don’t see my question listed here.
- A.
Please contact the following Section by e-mail or telephone:
Basic Wastewater Terminology
- Activated Sludge
-
The term "activated sludge" refers to a brownish flocculent culture
of organisms developed in aeration tanks under controlled conditions. It is
also Sludge floc produced in raw or settled waste water by the growth of zoological
bacteria and other organisms in the presence of dissolved oxygen. Activated
sludge is normally brown in color.
- Alkalinity
-
The capacity of water to neutralize acids, a property imparted by the water's
content of carbonates, bicarbonates, hydroxides, and occasionally borates, silicates,
and phosphates. Alkaline fluids have a pH value over 7
- Anaerobic
-
A biological environment that is deficient in all forms of oxygen, especially
molecular oxygen, nitrates and nitrites. The decomposition by microorganisms
of waste organic matter in wastewater in the absence of dissolved oxygen is
classed as anaerobic.
- Anoxic
-
A biological environment that is deficient in molecular oxygen, but may contain
chemically bound oxygen, such as nitrates and nitrites.
- Bacteria
-
Bacteria are microscopic living organisms. They are a group of universally
distributed, rigid, essentially unicellular, microscopic organisms lacking chlorophyll.
They are characterized as spheroids, rod-like, or curved entities, but occasionally
appearing as sheets, chains, or branched filaments.
- Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
-
The BOD test is used to measure the strength of wastewater. The BOD of wastewater
determines the milligrams per liter of oxygen required during stabilization
of decomposable organic matter by aerobic bacteria action. Also, the total milligrams
of oxygen required over a five-day test period to biologically assimilate the
organic contaminants in one liter of wastewater maintained at 20 degrees Centigrade.
- Bulking Sludge
-
A phenomenon that occurs in activated sludge plants whereby the sludge occupies
excessive volumes and will not concentrate readily. This condition refers to
a decrease in the ability of the sludge to settle and consequent loss over the
settling tank weir. Bulking in activated sludge aeration tanks is caused mainly
by excess suspended solids (SS) content. Sludge bulking in the final settling
tank of an activated sludge plant may be caused by improper balance of the BOD
load, SS concentration in the mixed liquor, or the amount of air used in aeration.
- Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
-
The milligrams of oxygen required to chemically oxidize the organic contaminants
in one liter of wastewater.
- Composite Sample
-
To have significant meaning, samples for laboratory tests on wastewater should
be representative of the wastewater. The best method of sampling is proportional
composite sampling over several hours during the day. Composite samples are
collected because the flow and characteristics of the wastewater are continually
changing. A composite sample will give a representative analysis of the wastewater
conditions.
- Denitrification
-
A biological process by which nitrate is converted to nitrogen gas.
- Digestion
-
The biological decomposition of organic matter in sludge resulting in partial
gasification, liquefaction, and mineralization of putrescible and offensive
solids.
- Disinfection
-
The killing of pathogenic organisms is called disinfection.
- Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
-
The oxygen dissolved in water, wastewater, or other liquid. DO is measured
in milligrams per liter. If the DO of a sample of water is 2 mg/L, it means
that there are 2lbs of oxygen in 1 mil lb of water.
- Dissolved Solids
-
Solids that cannot be removed by filtering are dissolved solids.
- Extended Aeration
-
A modification of the activated sludge process which provides for aerobic
sludge digestion within the aeration system.
- Floc
-
Clumps of bacteria and particles that have come together to form clusters,
or small gelatinous masses. The floc mass in an activated sludge aeration tank
generally consists of microorganisms.
- Grease
-
In wastewater, a group of substances, including fats, waxes, free fatty acids,
calcium and magnesium soaps, mineral oils, and certain other non-fatty materials.
- Milligrams per Liter (mg/L)
-
A unit of concentration of water or wastewater constituent. It is 0.001 g
of the constituent in 1000 ml of water. The unit parts per million is identical
to milligrams per liter.
- Mixed Liquor (ML)
-
The mixture of activated sludge, wastewater, and oxygen, wherein biological
assimilation occurs.
- Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS)
-
The milligrams of suspended solids per liter of mixed liquor that are combustible
at 550 degrees Centigrade. An estimate of the quantity of MLSS to be wasted
from the aeration tank of an extended aeration plant may be determined by the
rate of settling and centrifuge tests on the sludge solids.
- Nitrification
-
The conversion of nitrogen matter into nitrates by bacteria.
- Nitrogen
-
Nitrogen is present in wastewater in many forms: total Kjeldahl nitrogen,
ammonia nitrogen, organic nitrogen.
- Nitrogen Cycle
-
The cycle of life, death, and decay involving organic nitrogenous matter
is known as the nitrogen cycle. In the nitrogen cycle ammonia is produced from
proteins.
- Orthophosphate
-
A simple compound of phosphorous and oxygen that is soluble in water.
- Oxic
-
A biological environment which is aerobic
- Polyphosphate
-
A large compound formed of several orthophosphate molecules connected by
phosphate-storing microorganisms.
- Raw Wastewater
-
Wastewater before it receives any treatment.
- Reactor
-
A tank where a wastewater stream is mixed with bacterial sludge and biochemical
reactions occur.
- Return Sludge
-
Settled activated sludge returned to mix with incoming raw or primary settled
wastewater. When the return sludge rate in the activated sludge process is too
low, there will be insufficient organisms to meet the waste load entering the
aerator.
- Return Activated Sludge
-
Activated return sludge is normally returned continuously to the aeration
tank. Recycling of activated sludge back to the aeration tank provides bacteria
for incoming wastewater. It should be brown in color with no obnoxious odor
and is often also returned in small portions to the primary settling tanks to
aid sedimentation. Settled activated sludge is generally thinner than raw sludge.
Some activated sludge will be wasted to prevent excessive solids build up.
- Sludge Age
-
In the activated sludge process, a measure of the length of time a particle
of suspended solids has been undergoing aeration, expressed in day. It is usually
computed by dividing the weight of the suspended solids in the aeration tank
by the weight of excess activated sludge discharged from the system per day.
- Sludge Digestion
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The purpose of sludge digestion is to separate the liquid from the solids
to facilitate drying. The proper pH range for digested sludge is 6.8 - 7.2.
- Sludge Index
-
Properly called sludge volume index (SVI). It is the volume in millimeters
occupied by 1 g of activated sludge after settling of the aerated liquid for
30 minutes.
- Sludge Reaeration
-
The continuous aeration of sludge after initial aeration for the purpose
of improving or maintaining its condition.
- Splitter Box
-
A division box that splits the incoming flow into two or more streams. A
device for splitting and directing discharge from the head box to two separate
points of application.
- Wastewater
-
Domestic wastewater is 99.9% water and 0.1% solids. Fresh wastewater is usually
slightly alkaline. If the pH of the raw wastewater is 8.0, it indicates that
the sample is alkaline. If wastewater has a pH value of 6.5, it means that it
is acid. Wastewater is said to be septic when it is undergoing decomposition.
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