WQ0006060_NOV-2020-PC-0160_20200318

ROY COOPER
Governor
MICHAEL S. REGAN
Secretary
S. DANIEL SMITH
Director
CERTIFIED MAIL
Tracking #7017 2620 0000 6789 4940
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
NORTH CAROLINA
Environmental Quality
March 18, 2020
Mr. Robert Churchill, EHS Manager and Email
Gerdau Charlotte Steel Mill
6601 Lakeview Road
Charlotte, North Carolina 28269
Subject:
Dear Mr. Churchill:
Notice of Violation
NOV-2020-PC-0160
Non -Discharge Permit WQ0006060
Gerdau Ameristeel US — Charlotte Steel Mill CLRS
Closed -Loop Recycle System
Mecklenburg County
This Notice of Violation is for a self -reported, non-compliance incident on February 28th, 2020. You notified
Maria Schutte at the Mooresville Regional Office (MRO) of a release of Mill Scale Pond, Recycled Cooling
water during a maintenance event for the plants 10-day closure. A frac tank used for temporary storage
was not properly examined for volume capacity, and over -night pumping resulted in a release of 16,000 —
18,000 gallons of cooling water with potential presence of residual oil to ground surface, a nearby storm
drain and the North Pond storm water storage.
Your written report of the incident was received by email on March 4th, 2020, and the hard copy received on
March 5th, 2020. Per the report and our February 2811, 2020 phone conversation, there was no oil sheen
detected on ground surface or in the storm water pond. A vacuum truck was utilized to recover volume from
the ground and reduce volume in the storm water pond via storage in additional frac tanks. Oil socks and
booms were emplaced, and the storm water pond overflow pipe plugged to contain water on -site.
This incident is a violation of your Closed Loop Recycle System Permit. Specifically:
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS 111.1. "The Permittee shall operate and
maintain the subject facilities as a non -discharge system." And,
INSPECTIONS V.1. "The facility shall inspect the wastewater treatment and recycle facilities to
prevent malfunction... and operator errors that may result in discharges of wastes to the environment..."
The 5-day written report referenced procedural changes as preventative measures. A copy of your
procedural changes and updated Spill and Operations and Maintenance plans is requested to be emailed to
maria.schutteCa)ncdenr.gov within 30days, by April 16th, 2020.
D E Qbi�� North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Water Resources
Mooresville Regional Office 1 610 East Center Avenue, Suite 301 1 Mooresville, North Carolina 28115
vOry rN Cx:40:.itiA �
B.. a Io E".w^^�"��a°:r� /� 704.663.1699

Failure to comply with conditions in a permit may result in a recommendation of enforcement action, to the
Director of the Division of Water Quality, who may issue a civil penalty assessment of not more than twenty-
five thousand ($25,000) dollars against any "person" who violates or fails to act in accordance with the
terms, conditions, or requirements of a permit under authority of G.S. 143-215.6A.
Please contact Maria Schutte at the email above or by phone [phone]) with questions.
Sincerely,
DocuSigned by:
A14CC681 AF27425...
FOR Andrew H. Pitner, P.G., Assistant Regional Supervisor
Mooresville Regional Office
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ
CC: Rodrigo Canova, Vice President and General Manager (email)
Zahid Khan, Supervisor MRO-NCDEMLR (email)
Richard Farmer, Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services (email)