Sewage Sludge Reporting: NeT-Biosolids (NETBIO)

Find out how to submit sludge data to TCEQ for your Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permit.

• Submitting Your Report Electronically
• Roles and Signatory Authority
• Monitoring Periods and Deadline
• How to Complete the Report
• Reporting Confirmation and Updates
• Need Help?

Submitting Your Report Electronically

Submit TPDES annual program reports for Sewage Sludge or Biosolids through EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System eReporting Tool for Biosolids (“NETBIO”). This includes sludge data previously submitted on paper discharge monitoring reports (DMRs), supplemental paper reports, or through NetDMR.

Access the NETBIO Tool at EPA’s Central Data Exchange

Request an Electronic Reporting Waiver - If you cannot submit your annual report electronically as required, submit a Request for Electronic Reporting Waiver form (TCEQ-20754).

Roles and Signatory Authority

Understand Your Role

• Signatory: Can sign, submit, manage, prepare, and edit all forms.
• Preparer: Can prepare all forms on behalf of the signatory at the facility but cannot sign or submit the report. Find out how to submit your report to a signatory on page 46 of the Biosolids User’s Guide

Request Access to Your Facility - Once you have access to the NETBIO program, someone with the signatory role must request access to your facility's records. Then they can grant others access to the facility information.

If you have trouble logging in or setting up an account, contact the CDX Helpdesk:

• Phone: (888) 890-1995
• Email: helpdesk@epacdx.net

Delegate Signatory Authority to a person or position responsible for environmental matters or the overall operation of your facility.

Complete the

TCEQ Compliance Monitoring Team (MC-224)
Enforcement Division
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711-3087

Monitoring Periods and Deadline

Submit your report by the deadline, Sept. 30, for the Sept. 1, 2023 to Aug. 31, 2024 monitoring (reporting) period (Title 30, Texas Administrative Code, (30 TAC) Section 312.48

Do not submit a paper report to TCEQ’s central or regional offices. When you submit your annual report electronically, our staff can access the information.

How to Complete the Report

Find the TCEQ Registration Number - The number referenced in the report for sludge transporters is a five-digit registration number that starts with 2.

• For help finding the number, see our Sludge Transporter Query webpage.

Convert Metric Tons to Dry Metric Tons - See page 94 of the Biosolids User's Guide

for formulas to complete this conversion.

Identify Class I Sludge Management Facilities - A Class I sludge management facility (40 CFR 501.2

• Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) that must have an approved pretreatment program.
• Treatment works classified as such because its sludge use or disposal practices could adversely affect public health or the environment.

of the form, visit the EPA's website.

When You did not Produce Sludge or Biosolids

Even if your facility did not produce any sludge or biosolids during the current monitoring period, you must submit a report. Complete the following fields according to the answers below.

Program Information

• If your facility is a POTW - Enter 0 for the estimated total amount of sewage sludge produced at your facility for the reporting period (in dry metric tons)
• If not a POTW - Enter 0 for the estimated total amount of biosolids produced at your facility for the reporting period (in dry metric tons).

Treatment Processes

• Physical Treatment Operations -Leave all available options blank.
• Other Processes to Manage Sewage Sludge - Select the “Other Treatment Process” option and enter “no sludge production this monitoring period” in the text box provided.

Analytical Methods

• Did you or your facility collect sewage sludge or biosolids samples for laboratory analysis?Select “No Analytical Methods Used.”

Biosolids/Sewage Sludge Management - Sewage Sludge Unique Identifier (SSUID) Section

• Management Practice Type - Select “Other Management Practice.”
• Management Practice Detail - Select "Other."
• Handler, Preparer, or Applier Type - Select "On-site Owner or Operator."
• Pathogen Class - Select "Not Applicable."
• Do you have any deficiencies to report for this SSUID? -Select an appropriate option.
• Amount (dry metric tons) -Enter 0.
• Other Management Practice Detail Description - Enter “no sludge production this monitoring period.”

Click the “Done” button and then click “Submit.”

When You Sent Sludge to Municipal Landfills

Pathogen Class - You may select "Not Applicable" from the Pathogen Class drop-down menu when sludge is sent to a municipal landfill.

Additional Fields - If you sent sludge to a municipal landfill, the form may ask for more compliance monitoring events than are required in your permit. Follow these steps to complete this section of the form:

1. If the “Compliance Monitoring Periods” section is not already open, click the red error marker that appears under the “Monitoring Data Info” column.
2. If you do not have data for a compliance monitoring event, select “No” under “Do you have analytical results to report for this monitoring period?”
3. Select an applicable option from the “Please indicate the reason for reporting no data for this compliance monitoring period” drop-down box.

Completing the Truck Hauling Template

Certification Statement - The certification statement you enter depends on your method of disposal and the requirements outlined in your permit. For example:

If you land apply bulk sewage sludge meeting any of the conditions below, use the applicable certification statement in 30 TAC 312.47(a)(4)(A)(ii)

• Class A or Class AB or B pathogen reduction and the cumulative loading rates in Table 2 (Permit Section II)
• Class B pathogen reduction and the pollutant concentrations in Table 3 (Permit Section II)

Document every load that was hauled in the spreadsheet template provided in NETBIO.

Reporting Confirmation and Updates

Confirming that Your Report was Submitted

Reports submitted successfully in NETBIO are available on EPA’s ECHO website.

To view your report:

Updating Information in a Previous Report

To amend a report:

1. Sign into NETBIO.
2. Navigate to your facility.
3. Click the “Annual Reports” tab.
4. Click the “Actions” drop-down box.
5. Select the “Change” option. (You may need to wait one hour after the initial report was submitted before this option is activated.)
6. Confirm you would like to edit your report by selecting “Continue.”
7. Edit your report as needed and complete any remaining steps to certify your revised report.

Need Help?

Resolving Errors

Error when Certifying Report - If you encounter an error, try the following steps to certify your report:

1. Sign into NETBIO.
2. Navigate to your facility.
3. Click the “Annual Reports” tab.
4. Click the “Actions” drop-down box and select "Back to Draft."
5. Click the “Actions” drop-down box again and select "Edit."
6. Scroll down the annual report until you see the "Next" button.
7. Select the applicable certification option.

If you continue to receive the error message, screenshot the message and report it to NPDESeReporting@epa.gov.

Object Reference Error in Google Chrome - If you encounter the (“Object reference not set to an instance of an object.”) error message in NETBIO, clear your internet browser's cache and cookies

Again, if you continue to receive the error message, screenshot the message and report it to NPDESeReporting@epa.gov.

Webinar Training and Other EPA Resources

. Find answers to frequently asked questions on EPA’s Biosolids FAQs

How to Contact Us

If you need assistance, complete the NETBIO Customer Help Form.