New! Florida D.E.P. Application Changes - effective November, 2003

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Application Changes
For Wastewater Collection/Transmission Systems
(including pump stations)

Effective November 4, 2003, the State of Florida, Department of Environmental Protection, via the adoption of the revised FAC rule 62-604, changed their wastewater collection/transmission application form and several design rules.

Prior to November 4, 2003, the D.E.P. required each design engineer to adhere to Rule 62-604 when making an application to permit a collection/transmission system. The design engineer was required to review design guidelines outlined in the FAC and design their collection/transmission systems in accordance with the requirements of several adopted publications. The design was to be described in an Engineering Report and submitted, with the application for approval, to a plan review engineer for the State D.E.P. or one of its Delegated Agencies for permitting.

Since November 4, 2003, the State of Florida has amended and updated FAC 62-604 and the State D.E.P. now requires design engineers to prepare an Engineering Report, and to use a new updated application form (D.E.P. Form 62-604.300(8)(a)). This new form has 84 design elements that require the certification of the design engineer to confirm compliance. This certification comes in the way of initialing each design requirement that conforms to design codes and to note an exception when it does not. The responsibility is on the Engineer of Record to make sure his collection/transmission design is in compliance to all the required standards.

Here are a few of the requirements that will need to be designed into your wastewater pump station to comply with the State D.E.P. regulations, to which MOPS complies completely:

Application Item:

# 46 Requires motors, control circuits, etc., to be rated for the National Electric Code requirements for Class 1, Division 1, Group “D” locations. To meet this requirement, each pump motor must be labeled for an F.M. or Explosion-Proof rating. Non-F.M. or non-Explosion-Proof rated pumps will not comply with this requirement. The control switches (float switches) must be rated for intrinsically safe operation. The only way to achieve this is by using an intrinsically safe control center. The control center must be labeled for U.L. 698A “Industrial Control Panels for Hazardous Locations”, to meet the intrinsically safe standards. All MOPS Pump Stations are supplied with F.M. rated Pumps and MOPS Control Panels that are rated for U.L. 698A.

# 59 Requires the station design to minimize adverse effects from odors, noise, and lighting. The MOPS built-in odor scrubber eliminates all odors and saves the permittee from future modifications and expense should odor become a problem.

# 65 Requires the design include a method to detect mechanical seal failure or potential failure. MOPS Pump Stations are supplied with a mechanical seal failure relay for detecting the beginning of seal failure and has a light indicator to signal the pending failure.

# 71 Requires the design to provide for the pump station to have an alarm for power failure, pump failure, and unauthorized entry. MOPS pump stations are designed with back-up battery alarm systems for power failure occurrences. Each station also incorporates a pump failure and intrusion alarm function.

These are just a few items that are required to be incorporated into the pump station design with the new D.E.P. application submittal. Each Professional Engineer who submits an application must certify that his/her pump station design complies with these requirements.

RECAP:

The new Florida D.E.P. application format puts the responsibility of certification on the Engineer of Record.

Make sure the pump station design you certify does comply with the requirements; specify MOPS Pump Stations.