Module 1b – ICIS Permitted Features

Permitted Feature – Basic Information Permitted Features, representing the physical point of discharge, are added to a Permit Limit Sets, representing the monitoring and reporting requirements for discharges, are added to Permitted Features Limits represent the specific parameters that must be monitored and the numerical or reporting requirements Permits Basic Information Permitted Features Limit Sets Limits It is important to enter the permit and limits in a specific order. Your permit must exist in the database before you can begin entering the permit limits. If your permit is not in ICIS, please refer to our training modules for Creating a permit and also our permit basic information. If your permit exists and you are ready to enter the limits, the next step is to enter the Permitted features. Permitted features represent the physical point of discharge. After the permitted features are created, the next group to code is the Limit Sets. Limit sets represent the monitoring and reporting requirements for discharges. Once the limit sets are created, you will need to enter the Parameter limits. The limits represent the specific parameters that must be monitored and the numerical or reporting requirements for each parameter.

Permitted Feature – Basic Information A permitted feature describes the pipe through which industrial facilities and wastewater treatment plants discharge their effluent (wastewater) into a water body. Other types of outfalls (referred to as permitted features in ICIS) may include locations of potential release such as: Emergency overflow on lagoons or storage basins, Drainage ditches or swales in land application fields, Monitoring wells, Upstream and downstream monitoring points. A permitted feature describes the pipe through which industrial facilites and wastewater treatment plants discharge their effluent (wastewater) into a water body. Other types of outfalls (referred to as permitted features in ICIS) may include locations of potential release such as: Emergency overflow on lagoons or storage basins, Drainage ditches or swales in land application fields, Monitoring wells, Upstream and downstream monitoring points, etc.

Permitted Feature – Basic Information A Permitted Feature can be added to Individual Permits Master General Permits General Permit Covered Facilities A permitted feature can be added to Individual Permits, Master General Permits, and General Permit Covered Facilities.

Permitted Feature – Basic Information Permitted Feature ID Assigned by the user when the Permitted Feature is added IDs can be three OR four digits, alphanumeric Permitted Feature Type There are many different Permitted Feature Types Users determines the most appropriate type based on the permit The key fields for the permitted feature are the NPDES id, the permitted feature id and the permitted feature type. The Permitted Feature ID is assigned by the user based on the information in the permit and can be three or four alphanumeric characters. The Permitted Feature Type is selected by the user on the pull down menu with the most appropriate type based on the permit language. These fields are required in order to save the record. Other fields may be required data elements for data entry, however are not required to save the record. In addition other optional fields are available which will be discussed later.

Permitted Feature – Basic Information Let’s look at an NPDES permit to determine what Permitted Features need to be set up in the database Let’s look at the General Foods permit example that we will be using to code our permit. These limits are from an actual state permit. The Discharge number and Name show STP Outfall 001. The note indicates these are Effluent limitations, monitoring and reporting requirements. A Permitted Feature for 001 will need to be created and the type will be an external outfall. Most outfalls are external, however monitoring is required at other locations such as influent or a land application site. Sometimes a permit may require a facility to sample when the discharge comes into the Wastewater treatment plant (influent) and also what is discharged out of the plant (effluent) to see how disinfection or other treatment improved the quality of the water. Another example is you may have 3 pipes that converge into one before discharging out of the plant. You may have to monitor for each pipe individually and also a sum of when they all come together.

Permitted Feature – Basic Information This is the second page of limits in the permit. The Discharge number and name is STP Outfall INFL. We will create a permitted feature for INFL. You can use up to 4 characters for the Permitted Feature name in the database. What Treatment type should we choose from the pull down menu list? I’ll give you a minute to view the slide….. (Pause) Correct this is to measure Influent to the plant. The best choice on the pull down menu is “Influent Structure”.

Permitted Feature – Basic Information The Permitted Feature Screen captures the following information General Information Flow Information State Water Body Data Latitude/Longitude User Defined Fields Site Info Additional Data The permitted feature screen captures the following information. General information about the discharge, flow information, state water body data, latitude and longiture, user defined fields, site information and additional data

Permitted Feature ICIS Data Entry Let’s see how the permitted feature is entered into the database.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry At the ICIS home screen you would use the search permits and or facility name feature to locate the desired permit.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry You can search by any of the fields or combination of fields on this screen. The most efficient way is to search for the NPDES id. If you don’t know the id, you can search on facility name, major/minor status, issue dates, state, etc. It is important to note that if you search without the NPDES id, it is a good idea to enter the state otherwise ICIS will check all 50 states.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry You will be provided with search results based on the criteria you selected on your search screen. To edit the record, click on the NPDES id hyperlink OR you can click on the radio button and the edit icon. Either option will work. Remember if the permit does not exist, you will have to establish the permit in the database before entering the permitted features.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry You will land on the basic information screen for this facility. Select the permitted features hyperlink.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry If there are no permitted features currently entered for this facility you will see the message, “nothing found to display. To add the Permitted Feature in ICIS, click on the hyperlink add permitted feature on the right.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry Enter the required fields identified by an asterisk. Check the permit to locate the best choice for the Permitted Feature id and select the most appropriate “permit feature Type” . For our General Foods permit, we will enter permitted feature 001 and the treatment type will be External outfall. You have successfully entered all the required fields, however there are other data elements that are currently required and other optional fields available on this screen for data entry. Let’s discuss the other fields available on this screen.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry The treatment type, description and characteristics are optional fields. Notice the add/remove options available. The description field is a free text field where you can type in your description.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry Flow Data These fields can be entered with the basic information of the Permit and with each Permitted Feature Application Design Flow is a required data element for Municipal Facilities. The permits in ICIS have a POTW component. Application Actual Average Flow is typically entered for Industrial Facilities.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry State Water Body Data This section allows users to track an associated water body, using their own information State water body code is a field used frequently by states. Originally this information was migrated from ICIS using the Hydrologic Unit Code. States have the option to override this field with the naming convention that is used for their state.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry Latitude, Longitude and corresponding metadata can be stored with each Permitted Feature The latitude and longitude information for each permitted feature is required data and the information is usually contained in the permit application. The Lat long information is not required to save the record in ICIS even though the data is required to be reported. You have the option of entering the lat long in Decimal Degrees or entering the Degrees, Minutes, Seconds. When you save the record in ICIS, the information you entered into one of the fields will be automatically be populated in the other field. For example, if the decimal degrees field is entered, when the record is saved the Degrees, Minutes, Seconds fields will be automatically populated. It is important to know that if you make a change to the lat long, you must blank out the other field in order for it to be repopulated. For instance, if you change the Latitude decimal degrees from 35.017806 to 37.017806, you will need to blank out all the fields for the degrees, minutes, seconds, fields on the left. When you save the record, the degrees, minutes, seconds fields will be populated with the new value. The Code of Accuracy, Datum, Description, Method, and Scale are also required data elements.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry User Defined Fields Users may enter supplemental information for the Permitted Feature into the two text fields User defined fields are available for your use to track information important to your agency. These are free text fields.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry Site Information Contacts and Addresses Additional Data Additional Site information is available for each permitted feature. Typically this information is useful for the biosolids program to provide specific information on land application, surface disposal, incinerator, Co-Disposal Site or Monitoring Wells. The Contacts and Addresses are entered in the exact way they were entered on the permit basic screen.

Permitted Feature - Data Entry Screen options You have several options at the bottom of your screen. Save and Exit will save the information and take you back to permitted feature screen. Save and Continue will save your information and let you do a quick quality control of the data entered. Save and add another is a handy data entry feature that will allow you to continue to enter all the permitted features required in your permit while saving some basic information on the screen to reduce the amount of data to be entered each time. We will use Save and Add Another for our sample permit because we have one other permitted feature to add.

Permitted Feature - Copy Users may copy a Permitted Feature from an Master General Permit (MGP) to a General Permit Covered Facility (GPCF) All the Limit Sets and Limits defined for the MGP Permitted Feature will be copied to the GPCF If changes are made to the MGP Permitted Feature later on, they will not automatically update the GPCF permits. You will have to update them manually. Another time saving feature is the ability to copy permitted features from a Master General Permit (MGP) to a General Permit Covered Facility (GPCF). It would be to your advantage to wait to copy the permitted features after the limit sets and parameter limits have been entered. Note that once the limits are copied, if any changes are made to the MGP, the changes do not trickle down to the GPCF. You would have to go into each GPCF and make the changes. It is important to ensure that the limits are 100 percent accurate before copying to the GPCFs.

Permitted Feature – General Foods General Foods – Add Permitted Features Locate the permit Identify which permitted features are necessary 001 and INFL Search for your Test permit If you are interested in coding the permit along with us, please log on to the Test environment. Search permit to locate your Test permit. If you are not coding the permit, you can skip the next few slides.

Permitted Feature – General Foods Access the Permitted Feature Hyperlink Access the Permitted Feature hyperlink. Click add a Permitted Feature hyperlink..

Permitted Feature – General Foods Enter the required information to save the record Permitted Feature id will be 001 and the Type is “External Outfall” as specified in the permit must be entered in order to save the record. In addition remember that the latitude and longitude are required data elements, so enter the information as displayed on the screen on your Test permitted feature.

Permitted Feature – General Foods Check the permit for additional permitted features Save and Add Another INFL Review the General Foods permit to see if there are any other permitted features to add. If so, choose the option “Save and add another”. Let’s enter the next permitted feature.

Permitted Feature – General Foods Data Fields are maintained Some data fields are maintained when you use Save and Add Another. Enter the Permitted Feature INFL, check to see if this is an “External” outfall – according to the permit it is not. Check to see that it is an influent outfall. What is the best option on the pull down menu? Is the lat long different? If so make the necessary changes. Check your permit to see if there are any more permitted features to add. If not, save and continue or save and exit.

Permitted Feature – General Foods Verify that the permitted features exist before moving to the next training module Verify that the two permitted features exist in ICIS before going to the next training module. Be sure the Permitted Feature ID and the types are accurate.

Congratulations!!! Congratulations you are ready to move to the next module, Limit Sets.

ICIS Customer Support at (202) 564-7756 or icis@epa.gov If further assistance is required please contact Your Assigned System Administrator or ICIS Customer Support at (202) 564-7756 or icis@epa.gov THANK YOU! If you need further assistance please contact the your System Administrator or the ICIS helpline at (202) 564-7756 or at icis@epa.gov