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Code of Federal Regulations Title 40. Protection of Environment § 40.503.13 Pollutant limits

Current as of January 02, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) Sewage sludge.

(1) Bulk sewage sludge or sewage sludge sold or given away in a bag or other container shall not be applied to the land if the concentration of any pollutant in the sewage sludge exceeds the ceiling concentration for the pollutant in Table 1 of § 503.13.

(2) If bulk sewage sludge is applied to agricultural land, forest, a public contact site, or a reclamation site, either:

(i) The cumulative loading rate for each pollutant shall not exceed the cumulative pollutant loading rate for the pollutant in Table 2 of § 503.13;  or

(ii) The concentration of each pollutant in the sewage sludge shall not exceed the concentration for the pollutant in Table 3 of § 503.13.

(3) If bulk sewage sludge is applied to a lawn or a home garden, the concentration of each pollutant in the sewage sludge shall not exceed the concentration for the pollutant in Table 3 of § 503.13.

(4) If sewage sludge is sold or given away in a bag or other container for application to the land, either:

(i) The concentration of each pollutant in the sewage sludge shall not exceed the concentration for the pollutant in Table 3 of § 503.13;  or

(ii) The product of the concentration of each pollutant in the sewage sludge and the annual whole sludge application rate for the sewage sludge shall not cause the annual pollutant loading rate for the pollutant in Table 4 of § 503.13 to be exceeded. The procedure used to determine the annual whole sludge application rate is presented in appendix A of this part.

(b) Pollutant concentrations and loading rates—sewage sludge.

(1) Ceiling concentrations.

Table 1 of § 503.13—Ceiling Concentrations

Pollutant

Ceiling concentration (milligrams per kilogram)1

Arsenic

75

Cadmium

85

Copper

4300

Lead

840

Mercury

57

Molybdenum

75

Nickel

420

Selenium

100

Zinc

7500

1 Dry weight basis.

(2) Cumulative pollutant loading rates.

Table 2 of § 503.13—Cumulative Pollutant Loading Rates

Pollutant

Cumulative pollutant loading rate (kilograms per hectare)

Arsenic

41

Cadmium

39

Copper

1500

Lead

300

Mercury

17

Nickel

420

Selenium

100

Zinc

2800

(3) Pollutant concentrations.

Table 3 of § 503.13—Pollutant Concentrations

Pollutant

Monthly average concentration (milligrams per kilogram)1

Arsenic

41

Cadmium

39

Copper

1500

Lead

300

Mercury

17

Nickel

420

Selenium

100

Zinc

2800

1 Dry weight basis.

(4) Annual pollutant loading rates.

Table 4 of § 503.13—Annual Pollutant Loading Rates

Pollutant

Annual pollutant loading rate (kilograms per hectare per 365 day period)

Arsenic

2.0

Cadmium

1.9

Copper

75

Lead

15

Mercury

0.85

Nickel

21

Selenium

5.0

Zinc

140

(c) Domestic septage.

The annual application rate for domestic septage applied to agricultural land, forest, or a reclamation site shall not exceed the annual application rate calculated using equation (1).

AAR=

N

Eq. (1)

0.0026

Where:

AAR=Annual application rate in gallons per acre per 365 day period.

N=Amount of nitrogen in pounds per acre per 365 day period needed by the crop or vegetation grown on the land.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Code of Federal Regulations Title 40. Protection of Environment § 40.503.13 Pollutant limits - last updated January 02, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/cfr/title-40-protection-of-environment/cfr-sect-40-503-13/

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