Texas Land Application Permits: Overview of Geology and ...

Texas Land Application Permits:

Overview of Geology and

Groundwater Technical Resources

AMANDA PIRANI, P.G.

WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT TEAM, WATER QUALITY DIVISION

OCTOBER 10, 2019

AUTUMN ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE AND EXPO

Agronomy Review

Information contained in 30 TAC

§309.20

Texas Land Application Permits

(TLAP)

Types of TLAPs

Evaporation – 30 TAC 309

Surface irrigation – 30 TAC 309

Subsurface irrigation – 30 TAC 309

Subsurface Area Drip Dispersal System (SADDS) –

30 TAC 222

No discharge into or adjacent to waters of the state

Permit Application Forms

Domestic Wastewater Permit Application, Technical Reports –

Form TCEQ-10054

Domestic Worksheet 3.0 – Land Application of Effluent

Domestic Worksheet 3.1 – Surface Land Disposal of Effluent

Domestic Worksheet 3.2 – Subsurface Land Disposal of

Effluent

Domestic Worksheet 3.3 – Subsurface Area Drip Dispersal

Systems (SADDS)

Instructions for Completing the Domestic Wastewater Permit

Application – Form TCEQ-10053ins

Water Quality Assessment Team

Determine compliance with TCEQ rules and policies

Determine whether the proposed land application

activities have the potential to impact groundwater

Two Types of Technical Reviews

Geology

Agronomy

Geology Review

Worksheet 3.0,

Section 6Well Map and Table

Worksheet 3.0, Section 7Groundwater Quality Technical Report

Worksheet 3.3, Section 3Recharge Feature Plan

Geology and Groundwater

Information and Resources

Water wells

Groundwater information

Aquifer

Surface water

Geology

Water Wells

TWDB Water Data Interactive

TCEQ Drinking Water Watch

USGS topographic maps

Groundwater Conservation Districts

Site visit

Interview with property owner

Water wells must meet applicable buffer distances as

specified in 30 TAC 309.13(c)

TWDB Water Data Interactive Groundwater Data Viewer

http://www2.twdb.texas.gov/apps/waterdatainteractive/groundwaterdataviewer

Aquifers Designated by the TWDB

Major Aquifers Minor Aquifers

Groundwater Information

Well drillers’ logs

Well plugging reports

Depth to groundwater

Groundwater use

Groundwater quality

Surface Water

➢ USGS topographic maps

➢ Aerial photographs

➢ Site visit

➢ Management practices

must be proposed to

prevent impacts to

surface water

Geology

➢ Geologic Atlas of Texas

➢ Viewer at

https://txpub.usgs.gov/dss/te

xasgeology/

➢ Site visit

Wastewater Pond Liners

Wastewater holding and treatment ponds must be lined

in accordance with 30 TAC §217.203 and 30 TAC

§309.13(d)

Wastewater pond liners must certified by a Texas-

licensed professional engineer

The certification must state that the liner meet the

requirements of 30 TAC §217.203 and 30 TAC §309.13(d),

if applicable

Groundwater Quality Technical

Report

Fully assess the impact of the wastewater disposal system

on groundwater quality

Describe geology, groundwater, area wells, pond liners,

best management practices such as buffers, wastewater

application rate and any other practice designed to

protect groundwater quality

Edwards Aquifer and Subsurface

Irrigation Systems

Subsurface irrigation systems and SADDS are considered Class

V injection wells

30 TAC §213.8 (relating to the Edwards Aquifer) prohibits

waste disposal wells regulated under Chapter 331 (relating to

Underground Injection Control) on the Edwards Aquifer

Recharge Zone and Edwards Aquifer Transition Zone

If you have questions regarding whether or not 30 TAC §213.8

is applicable to a site, please contact the Water Quality

Division

Edwards Aquifer Map Viewer https://www.tceq.texas.gov/gis/edwards-viewer

Subsurface Area Drip Dispersal

Systems (SADDS)

Defined as a waste disposal system that injects processed

commercial, industrial, or municipal waste into the ground at

ta depth of not more than 48 inches and spreads the waste

over a large enough area that the soil hydrologic absorption

rate and crop/plant absorption rate are not exceeded

Regulated under 30 TAC 222

Requires submittal of a Recharge Feature Plan – 30 TAC

§222.79

Recharge Feature Plan

Must be prepared by a Texas-licensed professional

geoscientist or a Texas-licensed professional engineer

Must document the presence or absence of recharge

features at the site

Provide a description of site-specific geology and

groundwater at the facility

Identify measures to prevent impact to groundwater

from any recharge features present

Applicable TCEQ Rules

213 – Edwards Aquifer

217 – Design Criteria for Domestic Wastewater Systems

222 – Subsurface Area Drip Dispersal Systems

309 - Domestic Wastewater Effluent Limitation and Plant

Siting

311 - Watershed Protection

Texas Land Application Permits:

Overview of Agronomy and Soil

Technical Resources

PAUL ASKENASY, PhD., P.G.

WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT TEAM, WATER QUALITY DIVISION

(281) 486-1246

OCTOBER 10, 2019

AUTUMN ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE AND EXPO

Agronomy Review

Information contained in 30 TAC

§309.20

Completeness

Daily Application Rate – GPD

Size, slope and location of application site(s)

Does applicant want option to irrigate year round? If so,

warm and cool season crops must be proposed.

Completeness (continued)

Size(s) – surface acreage and volume at normal pool

level - of irrigation pond(s) and other ponds, if any, that

contribute to the irrigation pond

Quality of irrigation effluent, e.g., pH, Electrical

Conductivity, TKN, Nitrate-N, Total P of samples taken on

site or if a new site, quality of irrigation effluent from a

similar plant.

Soil fertility analysis results

Influent

WWTP

𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 =𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑡

𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝐴𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒

Evaporation

𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐶𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑠 =𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑡 − 𝐸𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝐴𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒

Agronomy

1. CALCULATE APPLICATION RATE – IS IT REASONABLE FOR

THE AREA?

2. CALCULATION OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS

LOADING RATES – IS IT REASONABLE FOR THE PROPOSED

CROPS?

3. ALL RECOMMENDATIONS TO PERMIT WRITER ARE BASED

ON SITE-SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

Agronomy

Volume GPD or

Tons/acre

Nutrient, mg/L

or mg/kg

ET

inchesDry

Matter,

Lbs/acre

Rooting

Depth,

inches

Area, acres

Contacts:Julian D. Centeno, Jr., P.E. [email protected] (512) 239-4608

Amanda Pirani, P.G.

[email protected]

(512) 239-1613

Paul Askenasy, Ph.D., P.G.

[email protected]

(281) 486-1246