§61.352. Alternative standards for oil-water separators. — Inbound Citations

(h) Permission to use an alternative means of compliance to meet the requirements of §§ 61.342 through 61.352 of this subpart may be granted by the Administrator as provided in § 61.353 of this subpart.

(a) Except as provided in § 61.352 of this subpart, the owner or operator shall meet the following standards for each oil-water separator in which waste is placed in accordance with § 61.342(c)(1)(ii) of this subpart:

(1) The owner or operator shall install, operate, and maintain a fixed-roof and closed-vent system that routes all organic vapors vented from the oil-water separator to a control device.

(i) The fixed-roof shall meet the following requirements:

(A) The cover and all openings (e.g., access hatches, sampling ports, and gauge wells) shall be designed to operate with no detectable emissions as indicated by an instrument reading of less than 500 ppmv above background, as determined initially and thereafter at least once per year by the methods specified in § 61.355(h) of this subpart.

(B) Each opening shall be maintained in a closed, sealed position (e.g., covered by a lid that is gasketed and latched) at all times that waste is in the oil-water separator except when it is necessary to use the opening for waste sampling or removal, or for equipment inspection, maintenance, or repair.

(C) If the cover and closed-vent system operate such that the oil-water separator is maintained at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure, then paragraph (a)(1)(i)(B) of this section does not apply to any opening that meets all of the following conditions:

(1) The purpose of the opening is to provide dilution air to reduce the explosion hazard;

(2) The opening is designed to operate with no detectable emissions as indicated by an instrument reading of less than 500 ppmv above background, as determined initially and thereafter at least once per year by the methods specified in § 61.355(h); and

(3) The pressure is monitored continuously to ensure that the pressure in the oil-water separator remains below atmospheric pressure.

(ii) The closed-vent system and control device shall be designed and operated in accordance with the requirements of § 61.349 of this subpart.

(l) An owner or operator who elects to install and operate the control equipment in § 61.352 of this subpart shall maintain records of the following:

(1) The date, location, and corrective action for each visual inspection required by 40 CFR 60.693-2(a)(5), during which a broken seal, gap, or other problem is identified that could result in benzene emissions.

(2) Results of the seal gap measurements required by 40 CFR 60.693-2(a).

(8) Beginning one year after the date that the equipment necessary to comply with these standards has been certified in accordance with paragraph (d)(1) of this section, the owner or operator shall submit annually to the Administrator a report that summarizes all inspections required by §§ 61.342 through 61.354 during which detectable emissions are measured or a problem (such as a broken seal, gap or other problem) that could result in benzone emissions is identified, including information about the repairs or corrective action taken.

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, each owner or operator of a Group 1 wastewater stream shall comply with the requirements of §§ 61.340 through 61.355 of this chapter for each process wastewater stream that meets the definition in § 63.641.