The department must adopt rules for disposing of wastewater and septage from on-farm processing operations.
1. The department shall adopt by rule standards for the disposal of wastewater from an on-farm processing operation. These standards shall provide for but are not limited to disposal by all of the following: a. By land application if all of the following apply: (1) The volume of wastewater produced by the on-farm processing operation is less than one thousand five hundred gallons per day. (2) The application rate does not exceed thirty thousand gallons per acre per year. (3) The application rate does not exceed one thousand five hundred gallons per acre per day. (4) The standards for land application are consistent with the rules for land application of septage that implement section 455B.172. b. At a publicly owned treatment works or other wastewater treatment system with the permission of the owner of the treatment works. c. Through a subsurface absorption system in conformance with applicable regulations of the United States environmental protection agency. d. Through a disposal system that meets all of the following: (1) The disposal system is located on the same site as the on-farm processing operation. (2) The disposal system is constructed in conformance with a permit issued by the department. (3) For a disposal system that discharges wastewater to a water of the United States, the system must be operated in conformance with a national pollutant discharge elimination system permit issued by the department under section 455B.197. 2. The department shall adopt by rule standards for the disposal of septage from an on-farm processing operation. The rules shall provide that the septage may be discharged to a permitted septage lagoon or septage drying bed with the permission of the owner of the septage system. 2011 Acts, ch 31, §2; 2012 Acts, ch 1042, §1, 2