Nebraska Administrative Code
Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
Title 197 - Rules And Regulations For Certification Of Wastewater Treatment Operators
Appendix B - Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant Point Rating System
Effective Date of Last Revision: April 6, 2020

A wastewater system with only collection, lift stations, and chlorination is considered a collection system and not a wastewater treatment plant. Each unit process should have points assigned only once.

Item
Points
Your Plant
Size (1 point minimum to 10 point maximum)


Design flow average day or peak month's flow average day, whichever is larger
(1 point minimum to 10 point maximum)
1 pt/MGD
or part

Preliminary Treatment


Grease removal
3

Plant pumping of main flow
3

Screening, comminution, microscreens
3

Grit removal
3

Equalization
1

Sedimentation/clarification
5

Primary Treatment


Dissolved air flotation
3

Coagulation/flocculation
5

Secondary Treatment


Bio-filtration with secondary clarifiers
10

Activated sludge w/ secondary clarifiers (including extended aeration, oxidation ditches)
15

Stabilization ponds without aeration
5

Stabilization ponds with aeration
8

Tertiary Treatment


Ion exchange for advanced waste treatment
10

Reverse osmosis, electrodialysis and other membrane filtration techniques
15

Chemical recovery, carbon regeneration
4

Polishing ponds for advanced waste treatment
2

Chemical/physical advanced waste treatment w/o secondary
15

Chemical/physical advanced waste treatment following secondary
10

Biological or chemical/biological advanced waste treatment
12

Additional Treatment Processes


pH adjustment
1

Oil separation
3

Chemical pretreatment (except chlorination, enzymes)
4

Filtration
6

Air stripping
5

Solids Handling


Solids conditioning
2

Solids thickening
5

Anaerobic digestion of solids
10

Aerobic digestion of solids
6

Evaporative sludge drying
2

Irrigation of solids
5

Mechanical dewatering
8

Solids reduction (including incineration, wet oxidation)
12

On-site landfill for solids
2

Solids composting
10

Disinfection (0 point minimum to 10 point maximum)


No disinfection
0

Chlorination or comparable
5

On-site generation of disinfectant
5

Effluent Discharge (0 point minimum to 21 point maximum)


Post aeration
4

Receiving stream sensitivity (0 point minimum to 6 point maximum)1


I."Effluent limited segment" in US EPA terminology; secondary treatment is adequate
0

II.More than secondary treatment is required
2

III."Water quality limited segment" in US EPA terminology; stream conditions are very critical (dry run, for example) and a very high degree of treatment is required
3

IV.Direct recycle and reuse
6

Land disposal,evaporation
2

Subsurface disposal
4

Biological or chemical scrubbers for odor control
5

Instrumentation (0 point minimum to 6 point maximum)3


The use of SCADA or similar instrumentation systems to provide data with no process operation
0

The use of SCADA or similar instrumentation systems to provide data with limited process operation
2

The use of SCADA or similar instrumentation systems to provide data with moderate process operation
4

The use of SCADA or similar instrumentation systems to provide data with extensive or total process operation
6

Laboratory control (0 point minimum to 20 point maximum)2


V.Lab work done outside the plant
0

VI.Membrane filter procedures
3

VII.Use of fermentation tubes or any dilution method; fecal coliform determination
5

VIII.Biological identification
7

IX.Viral studies or similarly complex work conducted on-site
10




Chemical/physical (0 point minimum to 10 point maximum)


X.Lab work done outside the plant
0

XI.Push-button or visual methods for simple tests (pH, settleable solids)
3

XII.Additional procedures (DO, COD, BOD gas analysis, titrations, solids, volatile content)
5

XIII.More advanced determinations (specific constituents; nutrients, total oils, phenols)
7

XIV.Highly sophisticated instrumentation (atomic absorption, gas chromatography)
10

Your Plant Total



1. The key concept is the degree of dilution provided under low flow conditions with points from 0 to 6.

2. The key concept is to credit laboratory analyses done on-site by plant personnel under direct responsible charge with points from 0 to 20.

3. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system