Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility Permit Compliance Checklist
This guidance document is advisory in nature but is binding on an agency until amended by such agency. A guidance document does not include internal procedural documents that only affect the internal operations of the agency and does not impose additional requirements or penalties on regulated parties or include confidential information or rules and regulations made in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. If you believe that this guidance document imposes additional requirements or penalties on regulated parties, you may request a review of the document.

Form #: 17-001 Guidance Documents Revised: 8/12/20



Your permit provides the requirements you must meet to be in compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) performs routine inspections to verify compliance. These inspections include a review of your required NPDES records, a review of your operation and maintenance activities, and observations of the physical condition of your wastewater treatment facility (WWTF). Further details may be found in the body and Attachment A of your permit and NDEE Titles 119, 123, and 197, available on the Department website. During a records review and the inspection, as applicable to your facility, we will evaluate the following list to determine compliance:

General Permit Compliance
  • Meeting Limits
  • Meeting Compliance Schedule (if included)
  • Effluent and Influent Sampling
  • Meeting Narrative Requirements
  • Visual Observation of the Effluent Discharge to the receiving water
Records Review
  • 3 years of required records
    • Permit/Fact sheet/Application
    • DMRs
    • Analytical Results/Lab Documentation
    • Sample Collection/Handling Documentation
    • Flow records
Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs)
  • Electronic Reporting
  • DMRs Submitted On Time
  • DMR Copies Retained
Reporting
  • Backups
  • Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO)
  • By-pass
  • Limit Violation
Lift Stations
  • Backup power/redundancy
  • Pump Conditions
  • Vents/Lights
  • Alarms
  • Screens/Comminutor/Grinder
  • Auxiliary backup/Redundancy
Flow Measurement
  • Condition of Equipment
  • Calibration of Equipment
Lagoon Treatment
  • Splitter Box
  • Operating Depth
  • Vegetation Control
  • Erosion Control
  • Animal Control
  • Lagoon Appearance
  • Fence/Signs Condition
  • Gate Closed and Locked
Mechanical Treatment
  • Operation
  • Process Control
  • Physical Condition of the Equipment
  • Backup Power/Redundancy
Biosolids
  • Required Records and Land Application Setback Compliance
  • 40 CFR 503 Compliance
Laboratory
  • Analytical Equipment Calibration
  • Complete Bench Sheets
  • Correct Analytical Methods
  • Correct Laboratory Procedures
Sample Handling
  • Correct Collection Method/Frequency
  • Holding Time/Preservation/Temperature
General Operation and Maintenance (O&M)
  • Maintenance Record Keeping
    • Repairs
    • Routine Jetting and Cleaning
    • Inflow and Infiltration (I&I)
  • SCADA/Alarms
Operator Certification
  • Certified Operator
  • Sufficient Backup
Pretreatment
  • Significant Industrial Users (SIUs)
Industrial Stormwater Permit
  • Only required if your design flow is 1 MGD or Greater
  • SWPPP/BMPs/Inspections
If you have questions please call the NPDES Permits and Compliance Section at (402) 471-4220.
Produced by: Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, P.O. Box 98922, Lincoln, NE 68509-8922; phone (402) 471-2186. To view this, and other information related to our agency, visit our web site at http://dee.ne.gov.