The owner or operator of an affected source category within a plant in the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bexar County, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria areas shall comply with the following inspection and monitoring requirements.
  (1) All seals and covers used to comply with §115.142(1) of this title (relating to Control Requirements) shall be inspected according to the following schedules to ensure compliance with §115.142(1)(G) and (H) of this title:
    (A) initially and semiannually thereafter to ensure compliance with §115.142(1)(G) of this title; and
    (B) upon completion of repair to ensure compliance with §115.142(1)(G) and (H) of this title.
  (2) Floating roofs and internal floating covers used to comply with §115.142(2) of this title shall be subject to the following requirements. All secondary seals shall be inspected according to the following schedules to ensure compliance with §115.142(2)(E) and (F) of this title.
    (A) If the primary seal is vapor-mounted, the secondary seal gap area shall be physically measured annually to ensure compliance with §115.142(2)(F) of this title.
    (B) If the tank is equipped with a mechanical shoe or liquid-mounted primary seal, compliance with §115.142(2)(F) of this title may be determined by visual inspection.
    (C) All secondary seals shall be visually inspected semiannually to ensure compliance with §115.142(2)(E) and (F) of this title.
  (3) Monitors shall be installed and maintained as required by this section to measure operational parameters of any emission control device or other device installed to comply with §115.142 of this title. Such monitoring and parameters shall be sufficient to demonstrate proper functioning of those devices to design specifications, and include the monitoring and parameters listed in subparagraphs (A) - (H) of this paragraph, as applicable. In lieu of the monitoring and parameters listed in subparagraphs (A) - (H) of this paragraph, other monitoring and parameters may be approved or required by the executive director:
    (A) for an enclosed non-catalytic combustion device (including, but not limited to, a thermal incinerator, boiler, or process heater), continuously monitor and record the temperature of the gas stream either in the combustion chamber or immediately downstream before any substantial heat exchange;
    (B) for a catalytic incinerator, continuously monitor and record the temperature of the gas stream immediately before and after the catalyst bed;
    (C) for a condenser (chiller), continuously monitor and record the temperature of the gas stream at the condenser exit;
    (D) for a carbon adsorber, continuously monitor and record the VOC concentration of exhaust gas stream to determine if breakthrough has occurred. If the carbon adsorber does not regenerate the carbon bed directly in the control device (e.g., a carbon canister), the exhaust gas stream shall be monitored daily or at intervals no greater than 20% of the design replacement interval, whichever is greater, or as an alternative to conducting monitoring, the carbon may be replaced with fresh carbon at a regular predetermined time interval that is less than the carbon replacement interval that is determined by the maximum design flow rate and the VOC concentration in the gas stream vented to the carbon adsorber;
    (E) for a flare, meet the requirements specified in 40 Code of Federal Regulations §60.18(b) and Chapter 111 of this title (relating to Control of Air Pollution from Visible Emissions and Particulate Matter);
    (F) for a steam stripper, continuously monitor and record the steam flow rate, the wastewater feed mass flow rate, the wastewater feed temperature, and condenser vapor outlet temperature;
    (G) for a vapor combustor, continuously monitor and record the exhaust gas temperature either in the combustion chamber or immediately downstream before any substantial heat exchange. Alternatively, the owner or operator of a vapor combustor may consider the unit to be a flare and meet the requirements of subparagraph (E) of this paragraph; and
    (H) for vapor control systems other than those specified in subparagraphs (A) - (G) of this paragraph, continuously monitor and record the appropriate operating parameters.
  (4) In the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Bexar County, and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria areas, units used to comply with §115.142(3) of this title shall:
    (A) initially demonstrate a 90% reduction in VOCs by using the methods in §115.145 of this title (relating to Approved Test Methods); and
    (B) measure on a weekly basis the total suspended solids in the aeration basin of the biotreatment unit.
  (5) All water seal controls shall be inspected weekly to ensure that the water seal controls are effective in preventing ventilation, except that daily inspections are required for those seals that have failed three or more inspections in any 12-month period. Upon request by the executive director, EPA, or any local program with jurisdiction, the owner or operator shall demonstrate (e.g., by visual inspection or smoke test) that the water seal controls are properly designed and restrict ventilation.
  (6) All process drains not equipped with water seal controls shall be inspected monthly to ensure that all gaskets, caps, and/or plugs are in place and that there are no gaps, cracks, or other holes in the gaskets, caps, and/or plugs. In addition, all caps and plugs shall be inspected monthly to ensure that they are tightly-fitting.

Source Note: The provisions of this §115.144 adopted to be effective May 27, 1994, 19 TexReg 3703; amended to be effective November 18, 1999, 24 TexReg 10095; amended to be effective January 17, 2003, 28 TexReg 113; amended to be effective May 16, 2024, 49 TexReg 3292