Treatment Plants

Steps Necessary to Obtain a Construction Permit and a Certificate to Operate

1. Obtain an application form from the DEQ Water Programs for a VPDES permit or a VPA permit.
2. Complete the application including any information related to the current VPDES or VPA permit issued by the State Water Control Board/DEQ. Applications which do not contain this information will not be considered to be complete and will not be processed.
3. File the completed application with the DEQ office whose service area encompasses the location of the existing or proposed sewerage system or treatment works. The OWE Area Engineer in cooperation with VDH Staff will establish the appropriate reliability classification.
4. Upon receipt, the application will be evaluated to determine if it is complete. If DEQ determines that the application is not complete, the owner will be notified concerning the information necessary to make it complete. If the application is determined to be complete, the owner will be contacted and an appointment may be arranged for a preliminary engineering conference, if a formal technical evaluation is deemed necessary.
5. The preliminary engineering conference scheduled in step 4 above can be held with the owner, the owner's consulting engineer, the Area Engineer, and other Agency staff if necessary. The owner may bring other interested parties. The owner may be represented solely by the engineer as long as the Area Engineer has been so notified in writing.
6. At a Preliminary Engineering Conference the owner or the owner's consulting engineer shall discuss the scope of the project to include preliminary criteria, such as population to be served and expected hydraulic and organic loading, and any unusual problems such as industrial wastewater discharges or infiltration-inflow. The general scope and content of the preliminary engineering proposal if required will be discussed and agreed upon. The treatment works will be designed in accordance with the appropriate standards of practice as identified through the Sewage Collection and Treatment Regulations.
7. A preliminary engineering report may be required for a project, as determined by the Area Engineer. The preliminary engineering report shall establish the criteria utilized in the final design.
8. When final engineering plans and specifications are submitted to the Area Engineer, they will be evaluated in chronological order of receipt unless assigned a priority for processing. If the technical evaluation reveals questions concerning the design, a letter with OWE Staff comments will be sent to the owner's consulting engineer for action. If deemed necessary by either the owner's engineer or the OWE Staff, a meeting will be convened to discuss the Area Engineer comments. Once the comments have been resolved, revised plans and specifications, if necessary, shall be submitted for evaluation. Revised plans and specifications will be processed in chronological sequence but will normally have a higher priority than original submissions.
9. If the OWE staff is unable to satisfactorily resolve questions concerning the design and the Office of Wastewater Engineering determines that the plans and specifications are not in substantial compliance with the Sewage Collection and Treatment Regulations, the plans and specifications may be disapproved by letter listing the reasons for disapproval. If the proposed design is found to be in substantial compliance with the Sewage Collection and Treatment Regulations and deemed approvable, a Construction Permit (form of a letter) will be issued.
10. Receipt of a Construction Permit is authorization to proceed with the construction of the treatment works. In some cases, the owner may commence construction prior to issuance of a construction permit, with the concurrence of the Area Engineer.
11. If modifications or changes to the approved plans and specifications become necessary they shall be processed through the Area Engineer for approval prior to the change being made. Such change orders or addenda will be processed by the OWE Staff on a priority basis.
12. Upon completion of construction, a Statement of Completion of Construction by a Virginia licensed professional engineer shall be submitted to the Area Engineer, stating that the treatment works was constructed in accordance with the approved plans and specifications referenced in the Construction Permit and any subsequent approved change orders or addenda.
13. Upon receipt of the Statement of Completion of Construction referenced in step 12, the OWE Staff will make arrangements for a final inspection of the treatment works. If the OWE Staff determine that the treatment works is ready for operation, a Certificate to Operate will be prepared and issued. The owner must submit an Operation and Maintenance Manual to the Area Engineer for review.