Notes for Consultants
This page is a reference for consulting engineers who design sewage collection and treatment projects.
All drawings, specifications, engineer's reports and other documents submitted for evaluation shall be prepared by or under the supervision of appropriately licensed professionals, legally qualified to practice in Virginia, in accordance with the provisions of §§ 54.1-400 to 54.1-411 of the Code of Virginia inclusive.
All submitted plans for sewerage systems or treatment works shall bear a suitable title showing the name of the municipality, sewer district, institution or other owner and shall show the scale in feet, a graphical scale, the north point, date and the name of the appropriate licensed professional. Also, each plan sheet shall bear the same general title identifying the overall project, and each shall be numbered. Appropriate subtitles shall be included on the individual sheets. The plans shall be clear and legible. They shall be drawn to a scale that will permit all necessary information to be plainly shown. The size of the plans should be no larger than 36 inches by 48 inches. The datum used should be indicated. Locations of all special features, when made, shall be shown on the plans. Logs of test borings should be given either on plans or in the specifications. Detail plans shall consist of plan views, elevations, sections, and supplementary views which, together with the specifications and general layouts, provide the working information for the contract and construction of the works. The plans shall include dimensions and relative elevations of structures, the location and outline form of equipment, location and size of piping, water levels, ground elevations, and erosion control abatement facilities. Data shall be provided for proposed additions of flow to existing sewerage systems indicating that the additional sewage flow from the proposed project will have no adverse impact on the operation of downstream facilities.
Application for construction and Instructions for the application
Project Submittals:
The Department of Environmental Quality must review engineering plans for certain types of projects before they are constructed. All gravity sewer and force main projects must be submitted to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for review. All pump stations with > 25 gpm pump rate (at 100 feet TDH) and > 2,000 gpd average flow must be submitted to DEQ for review. Review of all other pump stations may be waived, as determined by the area engineer. Vacuum collection systems must be reviewed by DEQ. DEQ reviews all Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) discharge and Virginia Pollution Abatement (VPA) sewage treatment facilities projects, except for single family residences. Operations and maintenance manuals for sewage treatment plants and pump stations (> 25 gpm pump rate) and > 2,000 gpd average flow must be submitted for review and approval. Review of all other pump stationO&M manuals may be waived, as determined by the area engineer.Closure plans for sewage treatment plants and sewage lagoons must be submitted. Addenda and Change Orders affecting the design or treatment efficiency must be submitted for review.
DEQ Review Period:
Certificate to Construct: All applications and submittals for a certificate to construct (CTC) shall be submitted by the owner or the owner's designee at least 180 days prior to the date the owner desires to begin construction. This is to allow time for comments and revisions. Allow 30 days per submittal for DEQ to complete a review and issue either a comment letter or a CTC.
All Other Submittals: Allow 30 days for DEQ to review preliminary engineering reports, operation and maintenance manuals,and miscellaneous reports and to issue a comment or approval letter.
Check the Status of the Project You Submitted:
DEQ has developed a project tracking log that contains information on all projects submitted to the Office of Wastewater Engineering. You are able to search on different parameters to find a project, and you can get information on a project such as the date received and if it has been approved.
Click here to search and see a list of projects that will link you to details of the project, or go to the Report page to search on a list of projects and view a summary table.
Procedures for Submitting a Project:
- A preliminary engineering conference with the owner and consulting engineer is required for projects involving treatment, prior to submitting plans.� Collection system projects do not require a preliminary engineering conference.
- A preliminary engineering report must be submitted for all new treatment plant projects, and on a case by case basis for upgrades and modifications.
- The consulting engineer will submit one set of engineering documents (plan sheets to be a maximum of 42-inches) and one set of design calculations to the appropriate field engineer. An application and/or a submittal form must be submitted with the project for plans and specifications. Please review the application instructions and/or submittal form instructions for submitting this form.
- For approval, the following number of each document must be submitted to the area engineer, as applicable:
- two copies of a preliminary engineering report (one to DEQ area engineer, one for the owner)
- four sets of plans (one to DEQ central, one to DEQ area engineer, one for the owner, and one for the contractor) (plan sheets to be a maximum of 42-inches) [or preferably three sets of plans and one set on CD]
- three sets of specifications (one for the DEQ area engineer, one for the owner, and one for the contractor)
- two copies of a treatment plant operations and maintenance manual (one for the DEQ area engineer and one for the owner)
- one copy of a pump station operations and maintenance manual (for the owner) (Note - If a city, county, service authority, military facility, etc. has an approved master operations and maintenance manual for pump stations, an individual operations and maintenance manual for each pump station is not required.)
- one set of engineer's design calculations (including pump curves, if applicable)
- The DEQ area engineer will review the documents and either issue a comment letter or an approval letter. If a comment letter is issued, all items will need to be resolved before approval. Once the approval letter is issued to the owner, the letter is the authorization to begin construction. The approved set of plans will be signed by the area engineer. The design engineer can include the approval stamp on the plans. The stamp used is: (http://cntrl28648/wastewater/images/ApprovalStamp_000.GIF)
- After completion of construction, a Virginia licensed professional engineer must submit a statement of completion to the DEQ engineer stating that the project was constructed substantially in accordance with the approved documents.
- The DEQ area engineer will determine if a final inspection is required. If so, the facility will be inspected by the area engineer.
- If the project is complete, a Certificate to Operate will be issued.