Section 271.914. Pollutant limits

(a) Sewage sludge other than residential septage.

(1) Sewage sludge may 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.

(2) If sewage sludge, other than sewage sludge that meets the criteria of § 271.911(b)(1) or (3) (relating to special requirements), is applied to agricultural land, forest, a public contact site or a reclamation site, the cumulative loading rate for each pollutant may not exceed the cumulative pollutant loading rate for the pollutant in Table 2.

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

(4) If sewage sludge is sold, given away or otherwise distributed, in a bag or other container for application to the land, the concentration of each pollutant in the sewage sludge may not exceed the concentration for the pollutant in Table 3.

(b) Tables.

(1) Ceiling concentrations.

TABLE 1—CEILING CONCENTRATIONS

	Ceiling
	Concentration
Pollutant	(Milligrams per Kilogram)1
Arsenic	75
Cadmium	85
Copper	4,300
Lead	840
Mercury	57
Molybdenum	75
Nickel	420
PCBs	8.6
Selenium	100
Zinc	7,500
1 Dry weight basis

(2) Cumulative pollutant loading rates.

TABLE 2—CUMULATIVE POLLUTANT LOADING RATES

	Cumulative
	Pollutant
	Loading Rate
	(Kilograms per	English Units
Pollutant	Hectare)	(Pounds per Acre)
Arsenic	41	36
Cadmium	39	34
Copper	1,500	1,320
Lead	300	264
Mercury	17	15
Nickel	420	370
Selenium	100	88
Zinc	2,800	2,464

(3) Pollutant concentrations.

TABLE 3—POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS

	Monthly Average
	Concentrations
	(Milligrams per
Pollutant	Kilogram)1
Arsenic	41
Cadmium	39
Copper	1,500
Lead	300
Mercury	17
Nickel	420
PCBs	4
Selenium	100
Zinc	2,800
1 Dry weight basis.

(4) Revisions to concentrations or loading rates. A new or revised pollutant concentration or loading rate published in the Federal Register as a modification to 40 CFR 503.13(b) (relating to pollutant limits) is incorporated by reference.

(c) Residential septage. The annual application rate for residential septage applied to agricultural land, forest or a reclamation site may not exceed the annual application rate calculated using Equation (1).

Where:

AAR = Annual Application Rate in gallons per acre per 365-day period.

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

Notation

Cross References

This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 271.821 (relating to application for general permit); 25 Pa. Code § 271.911 (relating to special requirements); 25 Pa. Code § 271.913 (relating to general requirements); 25 Pa. Code § 271.917 (relating to frequency of monitoring); 25 Pa. Code § 271.918 (relating to recordkeeping); and 25 Pa. Code § 271.919 (relating to reporting).