Florida Wastewater Monitoring, DMRs, Records & Reporting

Florida wastewater compliance depends on accurate monitoring, complete operating records, and timely reporting.

A facility can operate well mechanically and still be out of compliance if required samples are missed, data are reported incorrectly, or required reports are submitted late.

Monitoring Requirements Come From Both Rule and Permit

Florida domestic wastewater monitoring is governed by statewide rules and by the facility-specific permit.

Operators should use:

• Chapter 62-600 for treatment-facility monitoring requirements;
• Chapter 62-620 for permit monitoring and reporting conditions;
• the facility permit for exact parameters, locations, frequencies, limits, and reporting schedules.

Rule 62-600.660 Covers Treatment Facility Monitoring

Rule 62-600.660 establishes treatment-facility monitoring requirements for domestic wastewater facilities.

The current adopted rule is effective September 27, 2021.

Monitoring can include influent, effluent, flow, process, groundwater, or other parameters depending on the facility and permit.

The Permit Is the Facility-Specific Compliance Document

The operator should know the actual monitoring table in the facility permit.

The permit can specify:

• monitoring location;
• parameter;
• sample type;
• sample frequency;
• analytical method;
• reporting frequency;
• permit limit;
• units.

Never assume that two wastewater plants have identical monitoring requirements.

Sampling Location Matters

A sample collected from the wrong point may not satisfy the permit requirement.

Possible monitoring locations include:

• influent;
• intermediate process points;
• final effluent;
• reclaimed water;
• groundwater monitoring wells;
• other locations specifically identified in the permit.

Sample Type Matters

The permit can require different sample types, such as grab or composite samples.

Operators should follow the permit rather than substitute a more convenient sample type.

A correct laboratory analysis does not cure an incorrect sampling method.

Representative Sampling

Samples should represent the wastewater condition the permit requires the facility to evaluate.

Sampling equipment, timing, location, preservation, and handling all affect whether the result is representative.

Flow Data Are Compliance Data

Wastewater flow records can affect:

• hydraulic loading;
• permitted capacity;
• mass loading calculations;
• effluent reporting;
• reuse reporting;
• process-control decisions.

Flow meters should be operated and maintained so reported data remain reliable.

Discharge Monitoring Reports

Florida uses Discharge Monitoring Reports, commonly called DMRs, to report wastewater monitoring results required by permits.

DMRs are regulatory documents, not informal operating summaries.

DMR Form

Florida Rule 62-620.610 identifies DEP Form 62-620.910(10) as the standard Discharge Monitoring Report form unless another reporting format is specified in the permit.

A facility can have multiple DMR pages or sections because different monitoring points and requirements may need separate reporting.

Typical DMR Information

Depending on the permit, a DMR can contain:

• flow;
• CBOD or BOD;
• TSS;
• nutrients;
• fecal indicator bacteria;
• disinfectant residual;
• pH;
• other permit-specific parameters;
• groundwater-monitoring data where applicable.

Reporting Units Must Match the Permit

Common mistakes occur when operators report:

• mg/L instead of lb/day;
• gallons instead of MGD;
• daily values where a monthly average is required;
• monthly averages where a maximum is required;
• incorrect significant digits or qualifiers.

Always follow the permit and DMR field headings.

DMR Reporting Deadline

Florida wastewater reporting rules generally require DMRs to be submitted by the 28th day of the month following the monitoring period, unless the applicable permit specifies a different reporting schedule.

Operators should track both sampling deadlines and report-submission deadlines.

NPDES Facilities Use EzDMR

Florida NPDES facilities are required to submit DMRs electronically through the Department's EzDMR system.

This requirement has applied since December 21, 2016.

EzDMR is accessed through the Florida DEP Business Portal.

EzDMR Does Not Change the Permit

Electronic reporting changes how data are submitted, not what the facility is required to monitor.

The permit still controls:

• parameters;
• monitoring locations;
• sample frequency;
• limits;
• reporting frequency.

Authorized Users and Signatories

Electronic reporting requires appropriate account access and authorization.

Facilities should keep responsible-authority and authorized-representative information current.

Operators should not submit regulatory reports using another person's credentials or an unauthorized account.

Review Data Before Entering the DMR

Before reporting a laboratory result, verify:

• sample date;
• sample point;
• sample type;
• parameter;
• result;
• units;
• laboratory qualifier;
• permit limit;
• reporting statistic.

Do Not Convert Data Incorrectly

Some DMR values require calculations from laboratory or flow data.

For example, mass loading can depend on concentration and flow.

Operators should check units carefully and retain the supporting calculation.

Laboratory Results and DMR Values Should Reconcile

The value entered on the DMR should be traceable to the laboratory report, field result, flow record, or approved calculation that supports it.

If the DMR value differs from the laboratory report because a calculation or averaging procedure was required, the calculation should be documented.

Use Proper Data Qualifiers

Results below detection limits, missed samples, equipment failures, and unavailable data should be handled using the reporting conventions accepted by FDEP and the permit.

Operators should not invent a zero or substitute an estimated value simply to fill a blank field.

Missing Data Require Explanation

If required monitoring data are unavailable, the facility should use the appropriate reporting code or notation and provide the required explanation.

A missing sample is not corrected by entering a fabricated value.

Operating Records Support the DMR

Important supporting records include:

• daily operating logs;
• flow records;
• laboratory reports;
• chain-of-custody records;
• process-control data;
• equipment calibration records;
• chemical-feed records;
• maintenance records;
• sampling logs;
• calculations used for reported values.

Recordkeeping Must Support Reconstruction

A regulator reviewing the facility should be able to trace a reported result back to its supporting records.

Good records answer:

• who collected the sample;
• where it was collected;
• when it was collected;
• how it was analyzed;
• how the reported value was calculated;
• who reviewed and submitted the report.

Do Not Reconstruct Compliance Data From Memory

Operators should record process and sampling information when the work occurs.

Reconstructing the month later can create errors in:

• sample dates;
• flow values;
• process conditions;
• maintenance history;
• calculations;
• regulatory reporting.

Process-Control Data and Compliance Data Are Different

Process-control tests help operators run the plant.

Compliance monitoring demonstrates whether the facility meets regulatory and permit requirements.

The same parameter can appear in both systems, but the sampling location, analytical method, frequency, or documentation requirements may differ.

Monitoring Frequency Must Be Followed

A good result does not compensate for a missed required sample.

If the permit requires a certain frequency, the facility must meet that schedule unless the permit or regulator authorizes otherwise.

Permit Exceedances Must Be Recognized Promptly

Operators should compare results with permit limits as soon as data are available.

Do not wait until the DMR submission deadline to discover that a permit exceedance occurred weeks earlier.

Noncompliance Reporting Is Separate From Routine DMR Reporting

Some noncompliance events require notification before the routine DMR is due.

Examples can include:

• sanitary sewer overflows;
• spills;
• bypasses;
• unauthorized discharges;
• other events identified in the permit or Chapter 62-620.

The DMR does not replace immediate or accelerated reporting when a separate notification requirement applies.

Public Notification of Pollution Can Apply

Florida's wastewater permit conditions incorporate reporting requirements for certain pollution events.

Facility staff should know the utility's notification chain and should escalate qualifying events immediately.

Correcting a Submitted Report

If an error is discovered after submission, the facility should correct the report using the current FDEP process and preserve the reason for the correction.

Operators should not silently alter internal records to make them match a previously submitted incorrect report.

Quality-Control Review Before Submission

A good pre-submission review checks:

• all required monitoring points;
• all required parameters;
• units;
• averages and maximums;
• mass-loading calculations;
• missing data;
• qualifiers;
• permit-limit exceedances;
• required comments or explanations;
• authorization for submission.

Common Florida Wastewater Reporting Mistakes

• Using the wrong monitoring location.
• Collecting a grab sample when the permit requires a composite sample.
• Missing the required monitoring frequency.
• Reporting the wrong units.
• Entering zero for a result that was not actually measured.
• Failing to document calculations.
• Waiting until DMR preparation to review permit-limit exceedances.
• Assuming EzDMR changes the underlying permit requirements.
• Using an unauthorized account to submit a report.
• Assuming the routine DMR replaces separate noncompliance notification.

A Practical Florida Wastewater Reporting Workflow

1. Read the current permit monitoring tables.
2. Maintain a monitoring calendar.
3. Collect samples at the correct locations using the required sample type.
4. Use the required laboratory and analytical methods.
5. Review laboratory and field data promptly.
6. Compare results with permit limits.
7. Complete required calculations and retain supporting work.
8. Enter the correct values and qualifiers into the DMR or EzDMR.
9. Complete a quality-control review.
10. Submit by the required deadline.
11. Retain supporting records.
12. Report separate noncompliance events on the accelerated schedule required by the permit or rule.

What to Remember for the Exam

• Rule 62-600.660 governs treatment-facility monitoring for Florida domestic wastewater facilities.
• The facility permit controls exact monitoring locations, parameters, sample types, frequencies, limits, and reporting schedules.
• Florida uses DEP Form 62-620.910(10) for Discharge Monitoring Reports unless the permit specifies another format.
• DMRs generally are due by the 28th day of the month following the monitoring period unless the permit specifies otherwise.
• Florida NPDES facilities submit DMRs electronically through EzDMR.
• EzDMR has been required for NPDES DMR submission since December 21, 2016.
• Electronic reporting does not change the underlying permit requirements.
• Sampling location, sample type, frequency, units, and reporting statistic all matter.
• Missing data should never be replaced with invented values.
• DMR values should be traceable to laboratory reports, field measurements, flow records, or documented calculations.
• Process-control monitoring and regulatory compliance monitoring are related but not interchangeable.
• Some spills, bypasses, sanitary sewer overflows, unauthorized discharges, or other noncompliance events require reporting before the routine DMR deadline.