SECTION 217.190. Filtration

(a) Reasons for Use.

(1) Permit Requirements. A wastewater treatment facility that requires tertiary effluent limitations must use filtration as a unit of operation to supplement suspended solids removal. Tertiary effluent limits are any limits less than or equal to five milligrams per liter for five-day biochemical oxygen demand or total suspended solids.

(2) Specific Water Quality Requirements. A wastewater treatment facility designed for secondary or advanced secondary treatment effluent limitations may use filtration as a unit of operation to supplement suspended biological floc removal. Filters may be designed for intermittent operation if filters are not necessary to meet permitted effluent limitations.

(b) Redundancy.

(1) A wastewater treatment facility using filtration to provide tertiary treatment to comply with a permit requirement must have a minimum of two independent, fully functional filter basins with independent, fully functional equipment.

(2) The design of a filtration system must specify the submerged filter surface area required to treat the peak flow with the largest filter unit out of service.

(3) If a filter is provided solely to polish wastewater in situations where permit compliance does not depend on the use of a filter, such as in some cases of reclaimed water use, one filter is allowed.

(c) Source of Backwash Water. A filtration system must use filtered effluent as the source of backwash water.

(d) Disposition of Backwash Water. A filtration system must return backwash water containing material cleaned from a filter to the headworks of the wastewater treatment facility or to the influent lift station for processing.

(e) Sequence of Treatment Units.

(1) A final clarifier must precede a filter.

(2) A filter system may be used in conjunction with a disinfection tank to provide additional detention time, provided the filter is backwashed to the headworks of the wastewater treatment facility or to the influent lift station.

(f) Overload Conditions. A design must prevent effluent or partially treated effluent from overflowing from any filtration unit.

(g) Control of Slime Growth. A filtration system must provide periodic disinfectant in the influent stream to control slime growth in the filter and backwash storage tank.

Source Note: The provisions of this §217.190 adopted to be effective August 28, 2008, 33 TexReg 6843; amended to be effective December 4, 2015, 40 TexReg 8254