HomeMy WebLinkAboutNC0025011_Draft Permit_20171003WaterResources
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
October 3, 2017
Mr. Joseph R. Pearce P.E., Public Utilities Director
City of Elizabeth City
P.O. Box 347
Elizabeth City, North Carolina, 27907
Dear Mr. Pearce:
ROY COOPER
Governor
MICHAEL S. REGAN
Secretary
S. JAY ZIMMERMAN
Director
Subject: Draft NPDES Major Modification
Permit No. NCO025011
Elizabeth City WWTP
Pasquotank County
Facility Class IV
Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the Draft Major Modification for your facility.
Please review the draft very carefully to ensure thorough understanding of the
conditions and requirements it contains.
The Draft Major Modification contains the following significant changes from your
current permit:
The summer instream monitoring frequency has been reduced and modified to be consistent
with the winter instream monitoring frequency.
Please submit any comments to me no later than thirty days following your receipt of the draft.
At this time, the Division is also publishing a notice in the newspapers of general circulation in
Pasquotank County, inviting public comment on the Draft Major Modification. Following the 30 -
day comment period, we will review all pertinent comments received and take appropriate action
on the Major Modification.
If you have any questions about the NPDES permit process, please contact me at the following
e-mail address: sergei.chernikov(i4ncdenr gov, or telephone number: 919-807-6386.
Respectfully,
Sergei Chernikov, Ph.D.
Environmental Engineer II
Complex NPDES Permitting Unit
cc: Central Files
NPDES Files
EPA Region IV
Washinhgton Regional Office / Water Quality (e -copy)
WSS/Aquatic Toxicology Unit (e -copy)
TACU (e -copy)
Nothing Compares_
State of North Carolina I Environmental Quality I Water Resources
512 N Salisbury Street 11611 Mall Service Center I Raleigh, NC 27699-1611
919 707 9000
Permit NC0025011
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
Draft PERMIT
TO DISCHARGE WASTEWATER UNDER THE
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM
(hTDES)
In compliance with the provisions of North Carolina General Statute 143-215.1, other lawful standards and
regulations promulgated and adopted by the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, and the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended,
Elizabeth City
is hereby authorized to discharge wastewater from a facility located at the
Elizabeth City WWTP
450 Kobbs Creek Drive, Elizabeth City
Pasquotank County
to receiving waters designated as the Pasquotank River in the Pasquotank River Basin in accordance
with effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other applicable conditions set forth in Parts I,
II, III and IV hereof.
This permit shall become effective
This permit and authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on December 31, 2017.
Signed this day
S. Jay Zimmerman P.G., Director
Division of Water Resources
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Page 1 of 7
Permit NC0025011
SUPPLEMENT TO PERMIT COVER SHEET
All previous NPDES Permits issued to this facility, whether for operation or discharge are hereby
revoked. As of this permit issuance, any previously issued permit bearing this number is no longer
effective. Therefore, the exclusive authority to operate and discharge from this facility arises under the
permit conditions, requirements, terms, and provisions included herein.
Elizabeth City
is hereby authorized to:
1. continue to operate an existing 4.5 MGD wastewater treatment facility utilizing:
➢ Mechanical bar screen
➢ Manually -cleaned bypass bar screen
➢ Aerated grit removal
➢ Parshall flume
➢ Aeration basin with nutrient removal
➢ Pump station with sludge return
➢ Clarifier splitter box
➢ Chlorine contact tank
➢ Sulfur dioxide injection with mixer for effluent dechlorination
➢ Effluent weir box with ultrasonic flow meter
➢ Re -aeration tank with floating aerator
➢ One 30 -inch discharge pipe plumbed to two each 24 -inch outfall lines with diffusers
➢ Sludge storage tanks
located at Elizabeth City WWTP, 450 Kobbs Creek Drive, Elizabeth City in
Pasquotank County, and
2. discharge from said facility, at a specified location (see attached map), into the Pasquotank River,
a Class SC waterbody within the Pasquotank River Basin.
Page 2 of 7
Permit NCO025011
Part I
A. (I.) EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
During the period beginning on the effective date of the permit and lasting until permit expiration, the Permittee
is authorized to discharge from Outfall 001 Such discharges shall be limited and monitored by the Permittee as
specified below.
EFFLUENT
LIMITS
MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
CHARACTERISTICS
Monthly
Weekly
Daily
Measurement
Sample
Sample
Average
Average
Maximum
Frequency
Type
Location I
Flow
4 5 MGD
Continuous
Recording
Influent or
Effluent
CBOD, 5 day (20°C) 2
12.0 mg/L
18.0 mg/L
Daily
Composite
Influent &
(Apel 1 — Oct 31)
Effluent
CBOD, 5 day (20°C) 2
Daily
Influent &
(Nov 1 — March 31)
25 0 mg/L
37.5 mg/L
Composite
Effluent
Total
Daily
Influent &
Suspended Solids 2
30 0 /L
mg
45 0 mg/L
Composite
Effluent
s1N
4 0 mg/L
12 0 mg/L
Daily
Composite
Effluent
(April October 31)
NI -13 as
NMarch
8.0 mg/L
24 0 mg/L
Daily
Composite
Effluent
(Nov 1 31)
Enterococci
35 / 100 mL
276 / 100 mL
Daily
Grab
Effluent, Instream
(geometric mean)
Dissolved Oxygen 3
Daily
Grab
Effluent, Instream
Total Residual
13 4
µS/I
Daily
Grab
Effluent
Chlorine (TRC) 4
Temperature (°C)
Daily
Grab
Effluent, Instream
Conductivity
Daily
Grab
Effluent, Instream
pH
Between 6 8 and 8 5 standard
units
Daily
Grab
Effluent, Instream
Total Nitrogen
1/Month
Composite
Effluent, Instream
(NO2+NO3+TKN)
Total Phosphorus
1/Month
Composite
Effluent, Instream
Total Copper
1/Quarter
Composite
Effluent
Total Zinc
l/Quarter
Composite
Effluent
Chronic Toxicity 5
1/Quarter
Composite
Effluent
Total Cyamde6
1/Quarter
Grab
Effluent
Footnotes
1 For mstream sampling locations and monitoring frequencies, See A. (2.).
2 The monthly average effluent CBOD5 and Total Suspended Solids concentrations shall not exceed 15% of the
respective influent value (i e , 85% removal is required)
3 The daily average Dissolved Oxygen effluent concentration shall not fall below 5 0 mg/L
4 TRC -- because low-level TRC is currently difficult to quantify in a wastewater matrix, the Division shall consider all
effluent TRC values reported below 50 µg2 to be "in compliance" with the permit. However, the Pernuttee shall
continue to record and submit all values reported using North Carolma-certified field and lab test methods, even if
these values fall below 50 µg/L
5 Chronic Toxicity (Myszdopsis bahia) limited at 10%, March, June, September and December [see A. (3.)].
6 Cyanide — The Division shall consider all cyanide values reported below 10 µg/L to be "zero' for compliance
purposes However, Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) shall record all values reported by a North Carolina -
certified laboratory (even if these values fall below 10 µg/L)
The Permittee shall discharge no floating solids or foam visible in other than trace amounts
Page 3 of 7
Permit NCO025011
A. (2.) INSTREAM MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
Samples shall be collected monthly at two sampling points:
Upstream of the outfall at Norfolk 7 Southern Railroad bridge
Downstream of the outfall at the U.S. Highway 158 bridge
These samples shall be collected as grab samples from approximately 6" below the river surface and test for the
following parameters:
• Temperature
• Dissolved Oxygen
• Conductivity
• Salinity
• Total Nitrogen
• Total Phosphorus
• Chlorophyll -a
• Enterococci
• pH
A. (3.) CHRONIC TOXICITY PERMIT Quarterly
The effluent discharge shall at no time exhibit observable inhibition of reproduction or significant mortality to
Mysidopsis bahia at an effluent concentration of 10%.
The permit holder shall perform at a minimum, quarterly monitoring using procedures described below to
establish compliance with the permit condition. The tests will be performed during the months of March, June,
September, and December. Effluent sampling for this testing shall be performed at the NPDES permitted final
effluent discharge below all treatment processes.
If the test procedure performed as the first test of any single quarter results in a failure or ChV below the
permit limit, then multiple -concentration testing shall be performed at a minimum, in each of the two
following months as described in EPA Method 1007.0, Mysid, Mysidopsis bahia, Survival, Growth, and
Fecundity Test, as described in Short -Term Methods for Estimating the Chronic Toxicity of Effluents and
Receiving Waters to Marine and Estuarine Organisms, Second Edition, EPA/600-4-91/003, July 1994.
The test procedure will be based on EPA Method 1007.0, Mysid, Mysidopsis bahia, Survival, Growth, and
Fecundity Test, as described in Short -Term Methods for Estimating the Chronic Toxicity of Effluents and
Receiving Waters to Marine and Estuarine Organisms, Second Edition, EPA -600-4-91-003, July 1994. The
procedure will be performed as written with the following exceptions:
• The test treatments will consist of a control and a 10% effluent concentration ("pass/fail,"), or a
control and five effluent concentrations ranging from of 2.5%, to 30%).
• The test will be performed at 20 ppt salinity.
• Mortality for pass/fail tests will be evaluated using the t test described on page 91 in Methods for
Measuring the Acute Toxicity of Effluents to Freshwater and Marine Organisms, Fourth Edition.
EPA/600/4-90/027, September 1991, applying an alpha level of 0.05.
Page 4 of 7
Permit NCO025011
The growth endpoint for pass/fail tests will be determined using Appendix G of Short -Term
Methods for Estimating the Chronic Toxicity of Effluents and Receiving Waters to Marine and
Estuarine Organisms, Second Edition, EPA/600-4-91/003, July 1994, applying an alpha level of
0.01.
• Mortality and growth endpoints for multiple -concentration tests will be determined using
hypothesis testing as described in EPA Method 1007.0, Mysid, Mysidopsis bahia, Survival,
Growth, and Fecundity Test, as described in Short -Term Methods for Estimating the Chronic
Toxicity of Effluents and Receiving Waters to Marine and Estuarine Organisms, Second Edition,
EPA/600-4-91/003, July 1994.
All toxicity -testing results required as part of this permit condition will be entered on the Effluent Discharge
Monitoring Form (MR -1) for the months in which tests were performed. For pass/fail results, report using the
parameter code TGP3E and the DWR Form AT -4 (original) is to be sent to the address below. Additionally,
for reporting Chronic Value results use the parameter code THP3E and DWR Form AT -6 (original) is to be
sent to the following address:
Attention. North Carolina Division of Water Resources
Environmental Sciences Section
1621 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1621
Completed Aquatic Toxicity Test Forms shall be filed with the Environmental Sciences Section no later than 30
days after the end of the reporting period for which the report is made.
Test data shall be complete, accurate, include all supporting chemical/physical measurements and all
concentration/response data, and be certified by laboratory supervisor and ORC or approved designate signature.
Total residual chlorine of the effluent toxicity sample must be measured and reported if chlorine is employed for
disinfection of the waste stream.
Should there be no discharge of flow from the facility during a month in which toxicity monitoring is required,
the Permittee will complete the information located at the top of the aquatic toxicity (AT) test form indicating
the facility name, permit number, pipe number, county, and the month/year of the report with the notation of
"No Flow" in the comment area of the form. The report shall be submitted to the Environmental Sciences
Section at the address cited above.
Should the Permittee fail to monitor during a month in which toxicity monitoring is required, monitoring will be
required during the following month.
Should any test data from this monitoring requirement or tests performed by the North Carolina Division of
Water Resources indicate potential impacts to the receiving stream, this permit may be re -opened and modified
to include alternate monitoring requirements or limits.
If the Permittee monitors any pollutant more frequently then required by this permit, the results of such
monitoring shall be included in the calculation & reporting of the data submitted on the DMR & all AT Form
submitted.
NOTE: Failure to achieve test conditions as specified in the cited document, such as minimum control
organism survival, minimum control organism reproduction, and appropriate environmental controls, shall
constitute an invalid test and will require immediate follow-up testing to be completed no later than the last day
of the month following the month of the initial monitoring.
Page 5 of 7
Permit NCO025011
A. (4.) PRIORITY POLLUTANT ANALYSIS
The Permittee shall perform a total of three (3) Effluent Pollutant Scans for all parameters listed below. The analytical
methods shall be in accordance with 40 CFR Part 136 and shall be sufficiently sensitive to determine whether
parameters are present in concentrations greater than applicable standards and criteria. Sampling dates shall represent
seasonal variation. Unless otherwise indicated, metals shall be analyzed as "total recoverable."
Ammoma (as N)
Chlorine (total residual, TRC)
Dissolved oxygen
Nitrate/Nitrite
Kjeldahl nitrogen
Oil and grease
Phosphorus
Total dissolved solids
Hardness
Antimony
Arsenic
Beryllium
Cadmium
Chromium
Copper
Lead
Mercury (EPA Method 1631E)
Nickel
Selenium
Silver
Thallium
Zinc
Cyanide
Total phenolic compounds
Volatile organic compounds:
Acrolein
Acrylonitnle
Benzene
Bromoform
Carbon tetrachloride
Chlorobenzene
Chlorodibromomethane
Chloroethane
2-chloroethylvinyl ether
Chloroform
Dichlorobromomethane
1, 1 -dichloroethane
1,2-dichloroethane
Trans-l,2-dichloroethylene
1,1-dichloroethylene
1,2-dichloropropane
1,3-dichloropropylene
Ethylbenzene
Methyl bromide
Methyl chloride
Methylene chloride
1,1,2,2 -tetrachloroethane
Tetrachloroethylene
Toluene
1,1,1 -trichloroethane
1,1,2-tnchloroethane
Trichloroethylene
Vinyl chloride
Acid -extractable compounds:
P -chloro -m -cresol
2 -chlorophenol
2,4-dichlorophenol
2,4 -dimethylphenol
4,6-dinitro-o-cresol
2,4-duutrophenol
2-mtrophenol
4-nitrophenol
Pentachlorophenol
Phenol
2,4,6-tnchlorophenol
Base -neutral compounds:
Acenaphthene
Acenaphthylene
Anthracene
Benzidine
Benzo(a)anthracene
Benzo(a)pyrene
3,4 benzofluoranthene
Benzo(ghi)perylene
Benzo(k)fluoranthene
Bis (2-chloroethoxy) methane
Bis (2-chloroethyl) ether
Bis (2-chloroisopropyl) ether
Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
4-bromophenyl phenyl ether
Butyl benzyl phthalate
2-chloronaphthalene
4-chlorophenyl phenyl ether
Chrysene
Di -n -butyl phthalate
Di-n-octyl phthalate
Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene
1,2 -dichlorobenzene
1,3 -dichlorobenzene
1,4 -dichlorobenzene
3,3-dichlorobenzidine
Diethyl phthalate
Dimethyl phthalate
2,4-dimtrotoluene
2,6-dimtrotoluene
1,2-diphenylhydrazine
Fluoranthene
Fluorene
Hexachlorobenzene
Hexachlorobutadiene
Hexachlorocyclo-pentadiene
Hexachloroethane
Indeno (1, 2, 3 -c d) pyrene
Isophorone
Naphthalene
Nitrobenzene
N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine
N-nitrosodnnethylamme
N-nitrosodiphenylamine
Phenanthrene
Pyrene
1,2,4-tnchlorobenzene
Reporting. The effluent pollutant scan shall be performed once/year during 2013, 2014, and 2015, and test
results shall be reported to the Division on DWR Form -A MR-PPA1 or in a form approved by the Director by
December 31 st of each designated sampling year. The report shall be submitted to the following address: NC
DEQ / DWR / Central Files, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617.
Page 6 of 7
Permit NC0025011
A. (5.) MERCURY MINIMIZATION PLAN (MMP)
The permittee shall develop and implement a mercury minimization plan during this permit term. The
MMP shall be developed within 180 days of the NPDES Permit Effective Date, and shall be available
for inspection on-site. A sample MMP was developed through a stakeholder review process and has
been placed on the Division website for guidance (httv://Portal.ncdenr.org/web/wq/swp/`ps/npdes,
under Model Mercury Minimization Plan). The MMP should place emphasis on identification of
mercury contributors and goals for reduction. Results shall be summarized and submitted with the
next permit renewal.
Page 7 of 7
Elizabeth City WWTP
Receivine Stream: Pasquotank River Stream Class: SC
Drainage Basin: Pasquotank River Basin Sub -Basin: 03-01-50
Latitude: 360 18'29" N Longitude: 76° 12' 21" W
State Grid/Quad: B 34 SW / Elizabeth City, NC
Facility
Location f
not to scale
North
NPDES Permit NCO25011
=�` Pasquotank County