(1) Upon receipt of any application for authorization, the department shall review such application, and if necessary, require additional information to make a determination thereon.

(2) Upon notification by the department that all information required by it has been received, the applicant shall twice publish notice of the application for authorization in a newspaper of general circulation in the area to which the request relates, providing thirty days for written comments on the request to be received by the department. Such notice shall be in a form provided by the department. In addition to such publication, a copy of such notice shall be mailed by the applicant to the governing body of each sewer district and of general purpose government, all or a portion of which lies within the jurisdictional boundaries to which the request relates.

(3) After review of the completed application and of comments timely received in response to the notice provided for above, the department shall either deny the request, giving its reasons therefor, find that there is sufficient public interest to warrant holding a public hearing on the application, or issue an order approving the same in whole or in part.

(4) If a public hearing is held upon proper notice, the department shall afford interested parties the opportunity to present their views on the application, and, upon review of all information gathered, shall either deny the application or issue an order approving the same.

(5) Any approval order issued by the department hereunder shall contain conditions and restrictions relative to the administration of the permit program and shall be binding upon the municipality so long as such approval remains in effect. Said approval order may subsequently be altered or amended in whole or in part to reflect changes in applicable laws, regulations, or policies relating to water pollution control. The department shall give the municipality thirty days notice of any contemplated amendments, unless an emergency precludes the giving of such notice, and will invite comments from the municipality.