South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

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Drinking Water - Plant Construction/Expansion Permitting

1. New Surface Water Treatment Facility

A surface water treatment plant is defined in Regulation 61-58 as any facility capable of altering the physical, chemical, radiological or bacteriological quality of surface water to produce water for public consumption in a public water system. Before any construction can be started on a such a facility, both the concept and design must be reviewed and approved by DHEC. Also note that if a new water system is being created in association with the construction then this proposed system must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of DHEC, that they will be a "viable system" as defined in Regulation 61-58(B). This will include the submittal of both a management plan and a multi-year financial plan.

The review process is broken down into two basic phases:

• Phase A - The Preliminary Engineering Report (PER)
• Phase B - The Plans and Specifications.

Both are briefly covered below. For more specific detail you will want to consult Regulation 61-58.

Phase A
Submittal

Phase A is considered to be the concept phase of planning. This should come very early in the process and before the actual detailed plans and specifications are developed. Once the initial concept is created (e.g. need for plant, location of plant, cost, size, etc.) then it must be prepared into a PER format in accordance with Regulation 61-58.1(C). In general the report must include the following items:

• Basic information on the owner, responsible officer and design engineer.
• General description of the service area, such as land use and customer base.
• General description of the surface water source (the location, name, nearby discharges, water analysis, low flows, etc.).
• Information on the intake structure. (location, size, etc.).
• Water plant information (capacity, type of treatment, location from intake, expected completion date, the handling and disposal of any waste such as backwash water and sludge, etc.).
• A detailed engineering and economic assessment on feasibility of utilizing alternative water sources.

This report must then be submitted in triplicate to DHEC along with an application (DHEC Form 1970) and three (3) 8.5" by 11" location maps. The submittal package must be sent to the appropriate Section Manager. Each report must bear the signature and seal of a state of South Carolina certified professional engineer.

Processing
Once DHEC has received the package, it will be given an administrative review. This preliminary review will be done to check package completeness and to log the project into the computer tracking system. A package which is found to be incomplete will be returned as being incomplete or be sent an administrative review letter asking for the appropriate material.

Following the administrative review, the package will be assigned to a project engineer or the backlog file, depending on the current workload of the Section. The project engineer will then review the material in accordance with Regulation 61-58.1(C). Concurrently with his review the appropriate DHEC Regional Office will be submitted a set of the material for review and comments. Also during this period various other branches of DHEC along with other agencies may be contacted for input.

After the review is complete and comments are received, then either a review letter or an approval letter will be sent. If a review letter is sent, then the engineer and planners must address these issues with a follow-up package. Once a final approval is sent on the PER, then the project can move to the next phase.

Phase B
Submittal

Phase B of the project is the actual detailed design stage. At this point the permittee will be preparing the actual plans and specifications needed for the construction along with the design calculations. The package must include all applicable information as asked for in Regulation 61-58.1. The plans and specifications package must include four (4) stamped and signed copies of the plans, three (3) sets of specifications and design calculations, an original application (DHEC Form 1970) with two (2) copies and three copies of the location map.

Processing

Once the material has been received and had an administrative review conducted, it will be assigned to a project manager. In most cases the project manager will be the same as the PER reviewer. The material will then be reviewed. At this time, other areas of DHEC will likely be asked to comment (e.g. compliance). After the review is complete, it will be determined if either a review letter is needed or if the project can be issued a construction permit. In the case of a review letter the applicant will be required to address all items in the letter before the project review can continue.

Once the project is approved, a construction permit will be issued. Following construction, the project will be given a final inspection, and if found acceptable, be given an approval to place into operation.

2. Existing Surface Water Treatment Facilities

Construction projects for existing surface water treatment facilities are very similar to the construction of a new plant as discussed above in Section 1. The process is again broken into two phases: Phase A - the PER and Phase B - the plans and specifications.

Phase A

Any modification or upgrade to an existing surface water treatment facility will require a PER to be submitted. This report must include any pertinent information that will help describe and evaluate the proposed project in both concept and size. Its submittal should be done the same as described above in Phase A under the Section 1. Construction of a New Surface Water Treatment Facility."
The PER review done by DHEC will be carried out the same as described above in Phase A under the Section "New Surface Water Treatment Facility." Please note that in general the PER for an existing plant project will not need the detail (i.e. background detail, site selection, etc.) as that of constructing a new plant. It should mainly cover the project in concept and general design.

Phase B

Once approval has been given on the PER then the plans, specifications and design calculations must be submitted. The submittal package along with the review process will be the same as above in Phase B under the Section 1 "New Surface Water Treatment Facility."

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