WQCSD0059_NOVNOI2020DV0099_20200323

CERTIFIED MAIL: 7019 0700 0000 8867 7965
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

March 23, 2020

Jonathan Cannon, City Manager
City of Saluda
PO Box 248
Saluda, NC 28773-0248

SUBJECT: NOTICE OF VIOLATION & INTENT TO ISSUE CIVIL PENALTY
Tracking No.: NOV-2020-DV-0099
Sanitary Sewer Overflows - February 2020
Collection System Permit No. WQCSD0059
City of Saluda Collection System
Polk County

Dear Permittee:

A review has been conducted of the self-reported Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO’s) 5-Day Report/s submitted by
City of Saluda. The Division’s Asheville Regional Office concludes that the City of Saluda violated Permit Condition I
(2) of Permit No. WQCSD0059 by failing to effectively manage, maintain, and operate their collection system so
that there is no SSO (Sanitary Sewer Overflow) to the land or surface waters and the SSO constituted making an
outlet to waters of the State for purposes of G.S. 143-215.1(a)(1), for which a permit is required by G.S.
143-215.1.

The Asheville Regional Office is providing the City of Saluda an opportunity to provide evidence and justification as
to why the City of Saluda should not be assessed a civil penalty for the violation(s) that are summarized below:
Total Vol
Total Surface
Incident Start Duration Vol Water
Number Date (Mins) Location Cause (Gals) (Gals) DWR Action
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
202000669 2/13/2020 165 Laurel Dr LS Inflow and 6,875 6,250 Notice of Violation
Infiltration, Severe
Natural Condition _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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This Notice of Violation / Notice of Intent to Enforce (NOV/NOI) is being issued for the noted violation. Pursuant
to G.S. 143-215.6A, a civil penalty of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) may be assessed
against any person who violates or fails to act in accordance with the terms, conditions, or requirements of any
permit issued pursuant to G.S. 143-215.1.

This office requests that you respond to this Notice, in writing, within 10 business days of its
receipt. In your response, you should address the causes of non-compliance, remedial actions, and all other
actions taken to prevent the recurrence of similar situations. The response to this correspondence will be
considered in this process. Enforcement decisions will also be based on volume spilled, volume reaching surface
waters, duration and gravity, impacts to public health, fish kills or recreational area closures. Other factors
considered in determining the amount of the civil penalty are the violator’s history of non-compliance, the cost of
rectifying the damage, whether the spill was intentional and whether money was saved by non-compliance.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mikal Willmer with the Water Quality Section in the
Asheville Regional Office at 828-296-4686 or via email at [e-mail].

Sincerely,

G. Landon Davidson, P.G., Regional Supervisor
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Asheville Regional Office
Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ

EC: WQS-ARO Server, LF

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