Ohio EPA's biosolids program regulates the disposal and/or beneficial use of sewage sludge and biosolids generated by non-industrial wastewater treatment plants in Ohio, as well as any sewage sludge or biosolids brought into Ohio by out-of-state, non-industrial wastewater treatment plants. The goals of the biosolids program are to protect public health and the environment, encourage the beneficial reuse of biosolids and minimize the creation of nuisance odors.

Forms

2022 Annual Sewage Sludge Report Form (Form 4229)

A requirement to complete and submit to Ohio EPA an annual sewage sludge report appears in Part II of most National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits issued to Publicly Owned Treatment Works.

The 2022 Annual Sewage Sludge Report is now available to be completed through your Ohio EPA eBusiness Center account once all eDMR data has been submitted for the calendar year. The deadline to submit the 2022 Annual Sewage Sludge Report is March 1, 2023. All monthly reporting data will be pre-populated on the electronic version of the 2022 Report.

The Annual Sewage Sludge fee invoice will be generated when the Annual Sludge Report is submitted. A copy of the invoice will be emailed to the billing contact listed in the report. Please ensure that the correct person receives a copy of the invoice as payment is due by June 30, 2023.

You will have met the Annual Sludge Reporting requirements of your NPDES permit by submitting the electronic report. Please Do Not Printout and Send Ohio EPA a hard copy of the 2022 Annual Sludge report.

• Beneficial Use Site Re-Certification Form
• Annual Sewage Sludge Report Guidance
• Beneficial User Certification Statement
• Beneficial User Injection/Incorporation Certification Statement

Class B Beneficial Use Site Forms

The following forms and associated instructions are to be used for the authorization, transfer or acreage amendment of Class B beneficial use sites. Also included is a form for an occupied building consent for reduced isolation distance for Class B beneficial use sites.

• Class B Beneficial Use Site Authorization (Word) -- Instructions (PDF)
• Application for Transfer (Word) -- Instructions (PDF)
• Acreage Amendment (Word) -- Instructions (PDF)
• Occupied Building Consent for Reduced Isolation Distance (Word) -- Instructions (PDF)

Sludge Dioxin, Dibenzofuran and Coplanar PCB Worksheet

A requirement to complete and submit sludge dioxin monitoring data to Ohio EPA is written in Chapter 3745-40 of the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC). The Total Toxicity Equivalence (TTE) is calculated from the data analysis of the 29 congeners listed in OAC 3745-40-01. The following worksheet is used to calculate the TTE. The instructions and report form are available online as a PDF file (PDF), or in Microsoft Word 2000 (Word 2000) format. If you need the materials in another software package or version, please let us know.

Individual NPDES Permit Application Forms

Reports

• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2021
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2020
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2019
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2018
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2017
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2016
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2015
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2014
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2013
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2012
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2011
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2010
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2009
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2008
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2007
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2006
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2005
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2004
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2003
• Sewage Sludge Use or Disposal in Ohio - Calendar Year 2002

Compliance Tools

• Example of Treatment Works NANI
• Example of Beneficial User (Land Applier) NANI
• Fecal Coliform Geometric Mean Calculation Spreadsheet [Excel]
  • Instructions for Using the Fecal Coliform Geometric Mean Calculation Spreadsheet
• Agronomic Rate Calculation Spreadsheet [Excel]
  • Instructions for Using the Agronomic Rate Calculation Spreadsheet
• Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate Calculation Spreadsheet [Excel]
  • Instructions for Using the Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate Calculation Spreadsheet
• CPLR Worksheet [Excel]

Rules

• Ohio Sewage Sludge Rules
• The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Ohio Department of Health (ODH), local health districts and Ohio EPA regulate domestic septage disposal in the state of Ohio. The fact sheet Domestic Septage Disposal in Ohio is intended to provide stakeholders and regulators an overview of applicable regulatory authority in Ohio. The goal is to achieve regulatory compliance and clarify regulatory oversight for land application of domestic septage in Ohio.
• Federal Sludge Regulations - 40 CFR 503

Documents

• Introduction to Anaerobic Digesters
• Estimating Plant Available Nitrogen in Biosolids
• Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat and Alfalfa.
  The Ohio State University Extension Bulletin E-2567
• Manual of Ohio EPA Sludge Program Field Sampling Methods And Quality Assurance Practices.
• Permit Guidance 11: NPDES Monitoring and Reporting for Sewage Sludge
• Phosphorus Index (P Index) Risk Assessment Procedure (ODA OAC 901:10-2-14 App E Table 1)

Related Sites

• Biosolids Beneficial Use Site Map
• The U.S. EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory has updated Control of Pathogens and Vector Attraction in Sewage Sludge (aka the "White House Document"), so named because it has a picture of the White House lawn being fertilized with exceptional quality biosolids. This guidance manual provides information on meeting the pathogen reduction and vector attraction reduction requirements of Ohio's sewage sludge rules, Chapter 3745-40 of the Ohio Administrative Code.
• U.S. EPA Biosolids page 
• U.S. EPA NPDES Compliance Inspection Manual page

Contacts

State Coordinator

Central, Northwest, and Southeast District

Northeast District

Southwest District