HomeMy WebLinkAboutNC0005258_Draft Permit_20171101Water Resources
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
ROY COOPER
Governor
MICHAEL S REGAN
Sect erar},
S JAY ZIMMERMAN
Du ecro,
November 1, 2017
Mr. Billy Thompson
SGL Carbon, LLC
307 Jamestown Road
Morganton, North Carolina 28655
Subject: Draft NPDES Permit Renewal
Permit NC0005258
SGL Carbon
Burke County
Class I Facility
SIC 3624
Dear Mr. Thompson:
Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the Draft NPDES permit renewal for your facility. Please
review this draft carefully to ensure thorough understanding of the requirements and conditions it
contains. There are several changes from the existing permit, including the following:
• Removed Total Silver and Total Zinc monitoring. Reasonable potential analysis indicated the
predicted concentration was < 50% of the allowable WQBEL and is no longer a pollutant of
interest (see A (1)).
• Reduced Total Copper monitoring to quarterly. Reasonable potential analysis indicated the
predicted concentration was > 50% of the allowable WQBEL and remains a pollutant of concern
(see A (1)).
• Added new Total Residual Chlorine (TRC) WQBEL with effective compliance date of February
1, 2018. Evaluation of the discharge and its potable water makeup have shown treatment is
required to reduce TRC levels and meet the compliance limit (see A (1)).
• The NC 2007-2014 Water Quality Standard (WQS) Triennial Review was approved by the NC
Environmental Management Commission (EMC) on November 13, 2014. The US EPA
subsequently approved the WQS revisions on April 6, 2016 with some exceptions. The NC
Division of Water Resources NPDES Permitting Unit is required to implement the new dissolved
metal standards in all permits public noticed after April 6, 2016.
The new standards for most metals include acute standards. Further, the freshwater standards for
several metals are expressed as the dissolved form of the metals, and seven metals have hardness -
dependent equations. As a result, the NPDES Permitting Unit will need site-specific effluent
hardness data and instream hardness data, upstream of the discharge, for this facility in order to
calculate metal permit limitations (see A (1.).
State of North Carolina I Environmental Quality I Water Resources
512 N Salisbury Street 1 1612 Mad Sevrce Center I Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1612
919 807 6464
Page 12
• Federal regulations require electronic submittal of all discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) and
program reports The final NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule was adopted and became effective
on December 21, 2015. The requirement to begin reporting discharge monitoring data
electronically using the NC DWR's Electronic Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) mternet
application has been added to this permit. [See Special Condition A (3)]
For information on eDMR, registering for eDMR and obtaining an eDMR user account, please
visit the following web page: http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr.
For more information on EPA's final NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule, please visit the
following web site: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/10/22/2015-24954/national-
pollutant-discharge-elimination-system-npdes-electromc-reportmg-rule
The NPDES Standard Conditions (Part H, III, and IV) are not included with this draft. They can be found
at the following link if you would like to review them in conjunction with this draft permit.
http.//ncdenr s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-
public/Water%20Quality/Surface%20Water%2OProtection/NPDES/MISC/NPDES %20Standard%2OCon
dations-Boilerplate-DWR-S WP-NPDES-20150410.pdf
Concurrent with this notification the Division is publishing a notice in a newspaper having
circulation in the general Template County area, soliciting public comments on this draft permit.
Please provide any written comments you may have to the following: NCDEQ/DWR, NPDES
Permitting Branch, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1617 no later than 30 days
after receipt of this draft permit.
Following the 30 -day public comment period, the Division will review all pertinent comments
and take appropriate action prior to issuing a final permit. If you have questions concerning this
draft permit, please call me at (919) 807-6396 or by email at ron.berry@ncdenr.gov.
Sincerely,
&5, --
Ron Berry, Engineer
NPDES Complex Permitting Unit
Hardcopy: NPDES Files
Ecopy: DWR/Aquatic Toxicology Branch/Susan Meadows
DWR/Asheville Regional Office / Water Quality
DWR/Operator Certification Unit/Maureen Kinney
DWR/PWSS/Bill Conner with approval form
Permit NC0005258
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
I9";Juni
TO DISCHARGE WASTEWATER UNDER THE
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM
In compliance with the provision 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,
SGL Carbon, LLC
is hereby authorized to discharge wastewater from a facility located at
SGL Carbon
307 Jamestown Road
Morganton, North Carolina
Burke County
to receiving waters designated as Silver Creek in the Catawba River Basin in accordance with effluent
limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set forth in Parts I, 11, 111, and IV hereof.
The permit shall become effective ......................................... TBD.
This permit and the authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on January 31, 2023.
Signed this day ......TBD.
S. Jay Zimmerman, P.G., Director
Division of Water Resources
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Page 1 of 8
Permit NC0005258
SUPPLEMENT TO PERMIT COVER SHEET
All previous NPDES Permits issued to this facility, whether for operation or discharge are hereby
revoked, and as of this 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.
SGL Carbon, LLC
is hereby authorized to:
1. Continue to discharge contact and non -contact cooling water from a facility located at SGL Carbon,
307 Jamestown Road, Morganton, Burke County, and;
2. Discharge via Outfall 001 into Silver Creek, a Class WS -1V water in the Catawba River Basin, at the
location specified on the attached map.
Page 2 of 8
Permit NC0005258
Part I
A (1). EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
[15A NCAC 02B .0400 et seq., 02B .0500 et seq.]
Beginning on the effective date of this permit and lasting until expiration, the Permittee is authorized to
discharge contact and non -contact cooling water from Outfall 001. Such discharges shall be limited
and monitored 1 by the Permittee as specified below:
EFFLUENT
CHARACTERISTICS
EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS
MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
Monthly
Average
Daily
Maximum
Measurement
Frequency
Sample
Type
Sample
Location Z
Flow, MGD
Daily
Instantaneous
E
Temperature 3
Daily
Grab
E, U, D
Total Residual Chlorine 4
28 µg/L
Weekly
Grab
E
Total Suspended Solids
30.0 mg/L
45.0 mg/L
2/Month
Composite
E
Oil and Grease
10.0 mg/L
15.0 mg/L
2/Month
Grab
E
pH, S.U.
Weekly
Grab
E
Total Copper, µg/1
Quarterly
Composite
E
Total Hardness as
[CaCO3 or (Ca + Mg)] 5, mg/L
Quarterly
Composite
E
Total Hardness as
[CaCO3 or (Ca + Mg)] 6, mg/L
Quarterly
Grab
U
Total Lead, µg/1
Annual
Composite
E
Total Selenium, µg/1
Annual
Composite
E
Chronic Toxicity?
Quarterly
Composite
E
Notes
1 Staring on December 21, 2016, begin submitting discharge monitoring reports electronically using NC DWR's
eDMR application system See Special Condition A (3 )
2. Sample locations E- Effluent, I- Influent, U- Upstream 100 -feet above outfall, D- Downstream 300 -feet below
outfall
3. The temperature of the effluent shall be such as not to cause an increase in the temperature of the receiving
stream of more than 2 8°C and in no case cause the ambient water temperature to exceed 29°C. The
temperature sample shall be representative of the temperature mstream designation
4. The Division shall consider all effluent total residual chlorine values reported below 50 µg/L to be in
compliance with the permit However, the Permittee shall continue to record and submit all values reported by
a North Carolina certified laboratory (including filed certified) even if these values fall below 50 µg/L. The
Permittee shall be in compliance with the limit criteria effective February 1, 2018
5 Effluent hardness sampling should be performed in conjunction with testing for hardness dependent metals
(copper, lead).
6. The Permittee shall sample mstream hardness, upstream from the facility's discharge. The sample shall be
representative of the hardness in the receiving stream.
7 Chronic Toxicity (Ceriodaphnia) at 13%, March, June, September, December; refer to Special Condition A
(2).
There shall be no discharge of floating solids or visible foam in other than trace amounts.
Page 3 of 8
Permit NC0005258
A (2.) CHRONIC TOXICITY PERMIT LIMIT (Quarterly)
[15A NCAC 02B .0200 et seq.]
The effluent discharge shall at no time exhibit observable inhibition of reproduction or significant
mortality to Ceriodaphnia dubia at an effluent concentration of 13%.
The permit holder shall perform at a minimum, quarterly monitoring using test procedures outlined in the
"North Carolina Ceriodaphnia Chronic Effluent Bioassay Procedure," Revised December 2010, or
subsequent versions or "North Carolina Phase II Chronic Whole Effluent Toxicity Test Procedure"
(Revised- December 2010) or subsequent versions. The tests will be performed during the months of
March, June, September, and December. These months signify the first month of each three-month
toxicity testing quarter assigned to the facility. Effluent sampling for this testing must be obtained during
representative effluent discharge and 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 "North Carolina Phase II Chronic Whole Effluent
Toxicity Test Procedure" (Revised -December 2010) or subsequent versions.
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, using the parameter
code TGP313 for the pass/fail results and THiP3B for the Chronic Value. Additionally, DWR Form AT -3
(original) is to be sent to the following address:
Attention: North Carolina Division of Water Resources
Water Sciences Section/Aquatic Toxicology Branch
1621 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1621
Completed Aquatic Toxicity Test Forms shall be filed with the Water 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
Water Sciences Section at the address cited above.
Page 4of8
Permit NC0005258
(Continued A (2.) CHRONIC TOXICITY PERMIT LIMIT)
Should the permittee fail to monitor during a month in which toxicity monitoring is required, monitoring
will be required during the following month. Assessment of toxicity compliance is based on the toxicity
testing quarter, which is the three month time interval that begins on the first day of the month in which
toxicity testing is required by this permit and continues until the final day of the third 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.
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.
A (3.) ELECTRONIC REPORTING OF MONITORING REPORTS
[G.S. 143-215.1(b)]
Federal regulations require electronic submittal of all discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) and program
reports. The final NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule was adopted and became effective on December 21,
2015.
NOTE: This special condition supplements or supersedes the following sections within Part II of this
permit (Standard Conditions for NPDES Permits):
• Section B. (11.) Signatory Requirements
• Section D. (2.)
• Section D. (6.)
• Section E. (5.)
Reporting
Records Retention
Monitoring Reports
1. Reportinp- Requirements [Supersedes Section D. (2.) and Section E. (5.) (a)1
The pennittee shall report discharge monitoring data electronically using the NC DWR's Electronic
Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) internet application
Monitoring results obtained during the previous month(s) shall be summarized for each month and
submitted electronically using eDMR. The eDMR system allows permitted facilities to enter
monitoring data and submit DMRs electronically using the internet. Until such time that the state's
eDMR application is compliant with EPA's Cross -Media Electronic Reporting Regulation
(CROMERR), permittees will be required to submit all discharge monitoring data to the state
electronically using eDMR and will be required to complete the eDMR submission by printing,
signing, and submitting one signed original and a copy of the computer printed eDMR to the following
address:
Page 5 of 8
Permit NC0005258
(Continued A (3.) ELECTRONIC REPORTING OF MONITORING REPORTS)
NC DEQ / Division of Water Resources / Water Quality Permitting Section
ATTENTION: Central Files
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617
If a permittee is unable to use the eDMR system due to a demonstrated hardship or due to the facility
being physically located in an area where less than 10 percent of the households have broadband
access, then a temporary waiver from the NPDES electronic reporting requirements may be granted
and discharge monitoring data may be submitted on paper DMR forms (MR 1, 1. 1, 2, 3) or alternative
forms approved by the Director. Duplicate signed copies shall be submitted to the mailing address
above. See "How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below.
Regardless of the submission method, the first DMR is due on the last day of the month following the
issuance of the permit or in the case of a new facility, on the last day of the month following the
commencement of discharge.
Starting on December 21, 2020, the,perrnittee must electronically report the following compliance
monitoring data and reports, when applicable:
Sewer Overflow/Bypass Event Reports;
Pretreatment Program Annual Reports; and
Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 316(b) Annual Reports.
The permittee may seek an electronic reporting waiver from the Division (see "How to Request a
Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below).
2. Electronic Submissions
In accordance with 40 CFR 122.41(1)(9), the permittee must identify the initial recipient at the time of
each electronic submission. The permittee should use the EPA's website resources to identify the
initial recipient for the electronic submission.
Initial recipient of electronic NPDES information from NPDES-regulated facilities means the entity
(EPA or the state authorized by EPA to implement the NPDES program) that is the designated entity
for receiving electronic NPDES data [see 40 CFR 127.2(b)].
EPA plans to establish a website that will also link to the appropriate electronic reporting tool for each
type of electronic submission and for each state. Instructions on how to access and use the appropriate
electronic reporting tool will be available as well. Information on EPA's NPDES Electronic
Reporting Rule is found at:
https://www.federalre ig ster.gov/documents/2015/10/22/2015-24954/national-pollutant-discharge-
elimmation-s. st�pdes-electronic-reporting-rule
Electronic submissions must start by the dates listed in the "Reporting Requirements"
Page 6 of 8
Permit NC0005258
(Continued A (3.) ELECTRONIC REPORTING OF MONITORING REPORTS)
3. How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting
The permittee may seek a temporary electronic reporting waiver from the Division. To obtain an
electronic reporting waiver, a permittee must first submit an electronic reporting waiver request to the
Division. Requests for temporary electronic reporting waivers must be submitted in writing to the
Division for written approval at least sixty (60) days prior to the date the facility would be required
under this permit to begin submitting monitoring data and reports. The duration of a temporary waiver
shall not exceed 5 years and shall thereupon expire. At such time, monitoring data and reports shall be
submitted electronically to the Division unless the permittee re -applies for and is granted a new
temporary electronic reporting waiver by the Division. Approved electronic reporting waivers are not
transferrable. Only permittees with an approved reporting waiver request may submit monitoring data
and reports on paper to the Division for the period that the approved reporting waiver request is
effective.
Information on eDMR and the application for a temporary electronic reporting waiver are found on the
following web page:
http://deq.ne.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr
4. Signatory Requirements [Supplements Section B. (11.) (b) and Supersedes Section B. (11.)
All eDMRs submitted to the permit issuing authority shall be signed by a person described in Part II,
Section B. (11.)(a) or by a duly authorized representative of that person as described in Part II, Section
B. (I 1.)(b). A person, and not a position, must be delegated signatory authority for eDMR reporting
purposes.
For eDMR submissions, the person signing and submitting the DMR must obtain an eDMR user
account and login credentials to access the eDMR system. For more information on North Carolina's
eDMR system, registering for eDMR and obtaining an eDMR user account, please visit the following
web page:
htt-p://deq.ne.gov/ab6-ut/divisions/water-resources/edi-nr
Certification. Any person submitting an electronic DMR using the state's eDMR system shall make
the following certification [40 CFR 122.22]. NO OTHER STATEMENTS OF CERTIFICATION
WILL BE ACCEPTED:
"I certify, under penalty of law, that this document and all attachments were prepared under my
direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel
properly gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or persons
who manage the system, or those persons directly responsible for gathering the information, the
information submitted is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, accurate, and complete. I am
aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of
fines and imprisonment for knowing violations. "
Page 7of8
Permit NC0005258
(Continued A (3.) ELECTRONIC REPORTING OF MONITORING REPORTS)
5. Records Retention [Supplements Section D. (6.)]
The permittee shall retain records of all Discharge Monitoring Reports, including eDMR submissions.
These records or copies shall be maintained for a period of at least 3 years from the date of the report.
This period may be extended by request of the Director at any time [40 CFR 122.41 ].
Page 8 of 8
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USGS Quad: E13NW Morganton, NC
Outfall Facility \�
Latitude: 35° 43'41" N 350 43'53" N
Longitude: 81' 43'35" W 810 43'35" W
Stream Class: WS-NNorth Facility Location
Subbasin: 03-08-30 HUC: 03050101 SGL Carbon NC0005258
Receiving Stream: Silver Creek Burke County