WQ0035784_Bypass Incident No 202101228_20210422

DWR
Division of Water Resources
Incident Report
Report Number : 202101228
Incident Type : Bypass
Category
Incident
Incident Started : 04/22/2021
Country :
City:
Farm #:
Watauga
Boone
Responsible Party :
Owner : Wallace Loft LLC
Permit : WQ0035784
Facility : The Cottages of Boone WWTP
First Name : Sean
Middle Name :
Last Name : Devine
Address : 2711 Centerville Rd
Ste 400
City/State/Zip : Wilmington DE 19808
Phone :
Material Category:
Latitude :
Longtitude :
On -Site Contact :
First/Mid/Last Name :
Company Name :
Phone :
Pager/Mobile Phone :
Robert
P Barr
RBP Systems, Inc.
828-230-1021
Reported By :
First/Mid/Last Name : Robert P Barr
Company Name : RBP Systems, Inc.
Address :
City/State/Zip :
Phone : [phone]
Page/Mobile Phone : /
Estimated Qty: UOM: Chemical Name Reportable Qty.lbs. Reportable Qty.kgs.
DD:MM:SS Decimal
Position Method :
Position Accuracy :
Position Datum :
Location of Incident : Influent EQ Tank on the WWTP serving the Cottages of Boone
Address :
City/State/Zip : Boone
Report Created
4/26/21 11:06 am
Page 1

Cause/Observation :
Overflow from the influent EQ tank. Reportedly caused
due to shutdown of one of two MBR units to clean the
membranes. EQ tank overflowed and discharged into
surface waters. Cleaning reportedly will take -24 hours to
complete. Bypasses are expected to occur during that
time frame.
Action Taken :
WSRO to make site visit(s).
Incident Questions :
Directions :
Hwy 105 in Boone, to Fairview Ln. in the Cottages of Boone,
to gravel access road to WWTP.
Comments :
Reported that the MBR Units are failing and require immediate
cleaning. Cleaning requires shutdown of one of two units causing
reduced treatment capacity which results in bypass overflow from the
influent EQ basin prior to the WWTP primary screening device.
Anticipated bypasses are expected for -24 hours until cleaning MBR
units finished.
Did the Material reach the surface Water? Yes Conveyance :
Surface Water Name ? Laurel Fork, via unnamed tributary
Did the Spill result in a Fish Kill? Unknown Estimated Number of fish?
If the Spill was from a storage tank indicate type • Above ground EQ tank (Above Ground or Under Ground)
Containment? Unknown
Cleanup Complete? Unknown
Water Supply Wells within 1500ft : Unknown Groundwater Impacted : Unknown
Other (Please explain
in Part II)
Report Created
4/26/21 11:06 am
Page 2

Event Type Event Date Due Date Comment
Public Notice Received
Incident End
Requested Additional Information
Requested Additional Information
5-Day Report Received
Verbally Reported 24 on 5 Day
5-Day Report Signed
Referred to Regional Office - Primary Contact
5-Day Report Entered
Report Entered 2021/04/26 10:55:00
SSO 24-hr Reported start
Report Received 2021/04/22 8:47:00
Incident Start 2021/04/22 8:47:00
Standard Agencies Notified :
Agency Name Phone First Name M.I. Last Name Contact Date
Other Agencies Notified :
Agency Name Phone First Name M.I. Last Name Contact Date
DWQ Information :
Phone:
Report Taken By:
Patrick
Report Entered By: Regional Contact:
Mitchell Patrick Mitchell Patrick Mitchell
Date/Time: 2021/04/22 08:47:OOAM 2021/04/26 10:55:OOAM
Referred Via:
Did DWQ request an additional written report?
If yes, What additional information is needed?
Yes
5-day report along with explanation of cause, including what led to
this being the result of what should be routine maintenance.
Report Created
4/26/21 11:06 am
Page 3

Incident Type : Bypass
Category
Bypass 5 Day.
On -Site Contact :
First/Mid/Last Name : Robert
P Barr
Incident Started : 04/22/2021
Country :
City:
Farm #:
Watauga
Boone
Responsible Party :
Owner : Wallace Loft LLC
Company Name :
Phone :
Pager/Mobile Phone :
Reported By :
Permit : WQ0035784
First/Mid/Last Name : Robert P Barr
Facility : The Cottages of Boone WWTP
Company Name :
First Name : Sean
Address :
Middle Name :
Last Name : Devine
City/State/Zip :
Address : 2711 Centerville Rd
Phone :
Ste 400 Page/Mobile Phone : /
/
City/State/Zip : Wilmington DE 19808
Phone :
Material Category: Estimated Qty: UOM: Chemical Name Reportable Qty.lbs. Reportable Qty.kgs.
DD:MM:SS Decimal
Latitude :
Longtitude :
Location of Incident : Influent EQ Tank on the WWTP
Address :
Position Method :
Position Accuracy :
Position Datum :
City/State/Zip : Boone
Report Created
4/26/21 11:06 am
Page 4

Notification of anticipated noncompliance
Influent EQ Tank Bypass Overflow & Discharge to surface waters
On 4/22/2021 @ 8:47 am -
Received a call from Bob Barr about the Cottages of Boone (WQ0035784). He was calling to notify of
anticipated noncompliance. He said the MBR units are going into failure and require immediate
cleaning. They expect the EQ tank to overflow once they shut down one of the MBR units. Below are
detail provided.
- One train is being shut down this morning to be cleaned while the other is still used. Around 20-
30 GPM can be treated during cleaning. Once one train is cleaned, the other will be cleaned.
Reportedly "the shutdown has already started or starting as we speak".
- Around 70,000 GPD of daily influent on average. Could be 30,000 — 40,000 GPD overflow during
cleanings.
- They hope to have both the membranes on both MBR units cleaned and back running within 24
hours. And the EQ basin empty by Saturday morning.
- The membranes on both MBR units need to be replaced. Cleaning is having to be done frequently
and the time between cleanings is getting shorter and shorter.

Mitchell, Patrick
From: Mitchell, Patrick
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2021 11:32 AM
To: Rose Hernandez
Cc: Robert Barr ([e-mail]); Dale Holman; Caudle, Caitlin; Snider, Lon;
Graznak, Jenny
Subject: Incident Report No. 202101228 for the Cottages of Boone - Influent EQ Tank Bypass
Incident (WQ0035784)
Attachments: WQ0035784 Incident Report No_202101228 20210422.pdf
Rose,
Attached is the incident report for the bypass overflow from the influent EQ tank that reportedly started last Thursday
April 22, 2021. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Bob, Please use this incident number when completing the 5-day reporting that is required.
Regards,
Patrick
Patrick L. Mitchell, REHS, LSS
Environmental Program Consultant — Soil Scientist
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Division of Water Resources
NC Department of Environmental Quality
Phone: [phone]
Mobile: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Winston-Salem Regional Office
450 W. Hanes Mill Road, Suite 300
Winston-Salem, NC 27105
` 2Vathing Compares
E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be
disclosed to third parties unless the content is exempt by statute or other regulation.
1

Mitchell, Patrick
From: Mitchell, Patrick
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2021 12:49 PM
To: 'Rose Hernandez'
Cc: Robert Barr ([e-mail]); 'Dale Holman'; Caudle, Caitlin; Snider, Lon;
Graznak, Jenny
Subject: RE: Incident Report No. 202101228 for the Cottages of Boone - Influent EQ Tank Bypass
Incident (WQ0035784)
Importance: High
Rose,
As a follow up to the previous email concerning Incident No. 202101228, our office recommends that you consider
making a public notice since this bypass and illegal discharge of wastes to surface waters involved raw untreated
domestic wastes.
NC General Statutes (NCGS) require that a public notice be published within the county where the facility is located
when 1,000 gallons or more of untreated wastes are discharged into surface waters from the collection system serving
the facility. NCGS's also require that a public notice be published in the county downstream of the illegal discharge when
discharges of 15,000 gallons or more of untreated wastes are discharged into surface waters from the collection system
serving the facility.
NCGS 143-215.1C. states the following:
Publication of Notice of Discharge of Untreated Waste. — The owner or operator of any wastewater collection or
treatment works shall:
(1) In the event of a discharge of 1,000 gallons or more of untreated waste to the surface waters of the State, issue a
press release to all print and electronic news media that provide general coverage in the county where the discharge
occurred setting out the details of the discharge. The owner or operator shall issue the press release within 24 hours
after the owner or operator has determined that the discharge has reached the surface waters of the State. The owner
or operator shall retain a copy of the press release and a list of the news media to which it was distributed for at least
one year after the discharge and shall provide a copy of the press release and the list of the news media to which it
was distributed to any person upon request.
(2) In the event of a discharge of 15,000 gallons or more of untreated waste to the surface waters of the State, publish
a notice of the discharge in a newspaper having general circulation in the county in which the discharge occurs and
in each county downstream from the point of discharge that is significantly affected by the discharge. The Secretary
shall determine, at the Secretary's sole discretion, which counties are significantly affected by the discharge and shall
approve the form and content of the notice and the newspapers in which the notice is to be published. The notice
shall be captioned "NOTICE OF DISCHARGE OF UNTREATED WASTE". The owner or operator shall publish
the notice within 10 days after the Secretary has determined the counties that are significantly affected by the
discharge and approved the form and content of the notice and the newspapers in which the notice is to be NC
General Statutes - Chapter 143 Article 21 52 published. The owner or operator shall file a copy of the notice and
proof of publication with the Department within 30 days after the notice is published. Publication of a notice of
discharge under this subdivision is in addition to the requirement to issue a press release under subdivision (1) of this
subsection. (1999-329, s. 8.1; 1999-456, s. 68; 2010-180, s. 5; 2014-122, s. 6(a).)
Please let me know if you plan to publish a public notice, if you have questions or if you would like to discuss further.
Patrick L. Mitchell, REHS, LSS
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