Wastewater Practices

Transcription

1 Page #: 1 of 5 Last Reviewed/Update Date: 5/15/13 1. Purpose / Background Wastewater Practices The purpose of this SOP is to establish acceptable sink disposal practices that comply with MIT s discharge permits. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and the City of Cambridge permits establish specific conditions under which wastewater can be discharged to sewer. Toxic substances in the wastewater can cause serious problems if allowed to enter the sewer system. MWRA s advanced wastewater treatment systems are not designed to treat and remove metals, petroleum, and many organics; these substances must be addressed at the source. Excessive levels of these substances can threaten the marine environment or cause MWRA to exceed the wastewater discharge limits under its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The MWRA s treatment plant already operates at high capacity. They require us to eliminate or permit discharges of clean, uncontaminated water. A detailed list of prohibited discharges, as well as numerical limits for heavy metals, solvents, organic and other compounds is included in the Institute s permit. The EHS Office provides Sink Disposal stickers which list all allowable discharges to assist DLCs with compliance. MWRA requires regular wastewater discharge sampling to demonstrate compliance with the applicable regulations. 2. Scope These procedures are applicable to all Departments, Labs or Centers (DLCs) at the Cambridge campus with laboratories, machine shops, industrial-type processes, or other processes that discharge wastewater into sinks or floor drains. 3. Prerequisites All personnel must be aware of the chemicals or other materials used in the laboratory, machine shop, etc. that might potentially be discharged into the wastewater system and comply with the discharge limitations described in this SOP. 4. Procedures 4.1. Protection of drains Sinks in chemical fume hoods, including cup sinks, must be protected from spills by a raised lip or other form of berm / spill control It is recommended that hood sinks be removed from service and capped if not critical for the research Floor Drains - Chemical and hazardous material storage in areas equipped with floor drains must have secondary containment to prevent release to the drain and sufficient and appropriate spill response equipment to protect the drain.

2 Page #: 2 of 5 Last Reviewed/Update Date: 5/15/ It is recommended that floor drains in research labs be removed from service and capped. 4.2 Allowable Discharges The EHS Office has developed a list of chemicals and materials that may be discharged into the sinks or floor drains ( allowable discharges ). The list is based on regulatory requirements, MIT EHS policy, specific buildings, operations and activities knowledge, best practices and professional judgment regarding the potential impact of a chemical if discharged down the drain. The list is available as a sticker that could be placed near the sink (see Appendix) Discharge of certain film and photographic process treatment equipment is allowed if included in the MWRA Monitoring and reporting is required. Contact EMP if photo or film processing is performed Discharges of non-contaminated water used for cooling or from water treatment are only allowed if they are specifically listed in our permit For a case-specific evaluation of materials that are not on the list, a request can be made to the Environmental Management Program (EMP) of the EHS Office or the DLC EHS Coordinator. 4.3 Prohibited Discharges Generally, all chemicals that are not on the list of the allowed discharges should be accumulated and managed as hazardous waste A complete list of the prohibited materials is available from the EMP Water containing nanoparticles are generally prohibited and should be evaluated by the Environmental Management Program (EMP) of the EHS Office Aspirators which use water flow to create vacuum are prohibited from use by the MWRA Discharge of clean, non-contact cooling water is generally prohibited or requires a permit Existing discharges must be registered with the EH&S office for inclusion with our Discharge of clean water from large water treatment systems is generally prohibited or requires a permit. Discharges from small systems serving a single lab are allowed Existing discharges must be registered with the EH&S office for inclusion with our 4.4 Incident Reporting

3 Page #: 3 of 5 Last Reviewed/Update Date: 5/15/ Accidental discharges of chemicals into the sinks or floor drains must be immediately reported to the EHS Office as outlined in the Spill Response Procedures SOP to determine whether or not the incident needs to be reported to regulatory agencies. 5. Roles & Responsibilities All Institute personnel will follow the requirements established for the materials used in their work area Environmental Management Program will: Generate a list of chemicals and/or other materials that may and may not be disposed of down the drain; Assure the list is posted on the EHS web page; Ensure that the EHS Coordinators are notified of the list, acceptable practices and updates; Evaluate additional chemicals and/or materials not on the list when requested and provide a summary of that evaluation in writing to the requestor; Update the wastewater discharge lists if necessary because of new information or evaluations made; Investigate wastewater discharge problems; Document in writing investigations made Coordinate with DoF personnel on permit applications 5.2. EHS Coordinator will: Make PIs/Supervisors and EHS Representatives in their DLCs familiar with the discharge lists, practices and updates; Forward to EMP any requests for a specific chemical and/or other discharge evaluation; Assist PIs/Supervisors with meeting their responsibilities under this SOP; Assist EMP, as needed, with investigations of wastewater discharge problems PIs/Supervisors will: Assure personnel are informed of the materials they use that may or may not be disposed of down the drain; Assist, as needed, with investigations of problems; Correct any discharge problems that may be associated with their work areas Department of Facilities will: Perform sampling to document wastewater quality; Maintain records required by the Notify EMP of new discharge sources so they may evaluate compliance with the permit in accordance with EHS-0035, Water Pollution Control Regulatory Requirements Immediately notify EMP personnel of known or suspected permit exceedances or violations Coordinate with EMP personnel on permit applications.

4 Page #: 4 of 5 Last Reviewed/Update Date: 5/15/13 6. Training EHS Office provides awareness training to Institute personnel on the provisions of the MWRA and the City of Cambridge wastewater discharge permits (Oil Spill Prevention/Water Pollution Control Course) and the state sanitary code (Bloodborne Pathogen Training, BioSafety Training for Working with Pathogens and BioSafety Awareness Training for Non-Researchers). These courses are available in the web-based format on the EHS website at: 7. Monitoring Requirements MWRA requires regular sampling of wastewater discharge by MIT to demonstrate compliance with applicable regulations. Department of Facilities arranges the sampling events and submits discharge reports. MWRA periodically performs their own sampling as well. 8. Record Management MIT s Department of Facilities maintains the sewer use discharge permits. Department of Facilities also submits and maintains MWRA-required reports and maintains records to demonstrate compliance. 9. References 9.1. Standards MWRA Regulation 360 CMR , "Sewer Use" MA Plumbing Code 248 CMR 2.00 DEP Regulation 257 CMR 2.00, "Certification of Operators of Wastewater Treatment Facilities" DPH Regulation 105 CMR MA Sanitary Code DPH Regulation 105 CMR MA Radiation Control Program 9.2. Other SOP/ SOGs Floor Drains - EHS-0075 Spill Response Procedures - EHS-0004 Water Pollution Control Regulatory Requirements - EHS Supplementary Documents N/A 10. Definitions Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) controls certain greater Boston area sewer systems National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program sets standards for permitted wastewater discharges to surface waters of the United States.

5 Appendix Allowed discharges include: Cations Soaps/detergents Mercury free Bleach/Wescodyne /Cidex /Quatricide solutions Aqueous, soluble and dispersible radioactive isotopes into designated sinks or pipe openings within established limits (detailed lists posted at the designated sinks) Infectious/Biological materials that have been properly treated as described in each laboratory s registration protocols Non-contaminated growth media Purified biological materials such as amino acids and proteins in aqueous or buffer solutions Sugars and sugar alcohols (polyols) such as glycerol, xylitol and sorbitol Buffer solutions Spent photo developer (not fixer) Inorganic salts for which both the cations and anions are listed in the following table: Anions Aluminum, Al 3+ Borate, BO 3 3-, B 4O 7 2- Ammonium, NH 4 + Bromide, Br - Calcium, Ca 2+ Carbonate, CO 3 2- Cesium, Cs + Chloride, Cl - Lithium, Li + Bicarbonate, HCO 3 - Magnesium, Mg 2+ Bisulfite, HSO 3- Manganese, Mn 2+, Mn 3+, Mn 4+, Mn 7+ Fluoride, F - Potassium, K + Hydroxide, OH - Sodium, Na + Iodide, I - Strontium, Sr 2+ Tin, Sn 2+ Oxide, O 2- Nitrate, NO 3 _, Nitrite, NO 2 _ Titanium, Ti 3+, Ti 4+ Phosphate, PO 4 3- Zirconium, Zr 2+ Sulfate, SO 4 2-, Sulfide, SO 3 2-