The words and terms used in this chapter shall have the same meanings as given in the State Water Control Law, Chapter 3.1 (§ 62.1-44.2 et seq.) of Title 62.1 of the Code of Virginia and the VPDES Permit Regulation (9VAC25-31), unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, except that for the purposes of this chapter:

"7Q10" means the lowest flow averaged over a period of seven consecutive days that can be statistically expected to occur once every 10 years.

"Board" or "State Water Control Board" means the Virginia State Water Control Board. When used outside the context of the promulgation of regulations, including regulations to establish general permits, "board" means the Department of Environmental Quality.

"Combined application" means the Virginia Department of Health Discharging System Application for Single Family Dwellings Discharging Sewage Less Than or Equal to 1,000 Gallons per Day and State Water Control Board Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System General Permit Registration Statement for Domestic Sewage Discharges Less Than or Equal to 1,000 Gallons per Day. This application combines the VDH Alternative Discharging Sewage Treatment Regulations for Individual Single Family Dwellings (12VAC5-640) requirements with the board's registration statement requirements.

"Department" or "DEQ" means the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

"Domestic sewage" means the water-carried human wastes from residences, buildings, industrial establishments, or other places.

"Individual single family dwelling" means a structure, including any accessory structure such as a garage or pool house, housing one family or household or one that is designed for one family only. When a treatment works serving an individual single family dwelling has additional unused connections, it remains a treatment works serving an individual single family dwelling until such time that an additional single family dwelling is connected to the treatment works.

"Receiving water" means a creek, stream, river, lake, estuary, groundwater formation, or other body of water into which treated waste or untreated waste is discharged.

"Total maximum daily load" or "TMDL" means a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that amount to the pollutant's sources. A TMDL includes wasteload allocations (WLAs) for point source discharges, and load allocations (LAs) for nonpoint sources or natural background or both, and must include a margin of safety (MOS) and account for seasonal variations.

"VDH" means the Virginia Department of Health.

A. This general permit regulation governs domestic sewage discharges to surface waters from treatment works with a design discharge flow of less than or equal to 1,000 gallons per day on a monthly average.

B. The Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, or his designee, may perform any act of the board provided under this chapter, except as limited by § 62.1-44.14 of the Code of Virginia.

C. B. This general VPDES permit will become effective on August 2, 2021, and it expires on July 31, 2026. With respect to a particular dwelling, building, or site served, this general permit shall become effective upon the dwelling, building, or site served owner's compliance with the provisions of 9VAC25-110-60.