NC0005762_Technical Assistance_20010926

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NCDENR
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Michael F. Easley, Governor
September 26, 2001
Herman Benton, W&S Utilities Director
Westpoint Stevens
P.O. Box 388
Wagram, N.C. 28396
Dear Mr. Benton,
Pald
William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
'Gregory J. Thorpe, Ph.D:
Acting Director
Division of Water Quai tv
Subject: Technical Assistance"
J.P. Stevens - Wagram
Permit No. NC0005762
Scotland County
Thank you for meeting with me on the 19th of this month and discussing with me your problems
relating to the.fecal coliform limits of your N.P.D.E.S. permit.. The treatment plant tour was
most interesting and informative. The fecal coliform colony counts in the plant effluent are
most inconsistent from week to week and since they.are only analyzed weekly it is almost
impossible to see if there is a pattern and what is related. You have sampled the individual -waste
streams discharging to the wastewater system and found the water plant filter backwash and the
sedimentation basin sludge discharge to have the highest fecal count
You also informed me, when asked as to. why you were able to meet the fecal limit most of the
time since you do not have a disinfection system for the treatment plant effluent, that it was
because of the high pH wastewater that is discharged to the EQ basin.
After contemplating the facility, I having the following ideas for you to consider.
1. Superchlorinate the water plant filters and the sedimentation basin more frequently to try and
eliminate the source. •
2. Add caustic to the EQ basin to raise the pH to consistently measure. around 11 instead of it's
current average of 10. .
3. I know that suspended solids in the effluent can harbor fecal. Consider adding polymer to
the wastewater effluent to lower the solids to less than 10 mg/1 and see if that has an effect.
4. I still think that it would benefit you to analyze for fecal coliform daily for at least two weeks
to see if a pattern can be established.
• Fayetteville Regional Office
225:Green Street— Suite 714, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28301-5043
Phone: [phone] \ FAX: [phone] t Internet: www.enr.state.nc.us/ENR
An .Equal Opportunity \ Affirmative Action Employer— 50% Recycled \ 10% Post Consumer Paper .

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Westpoint Stevens
September 26, 2001
Before this letter could be composed, you called (9-24-01) and informed me of your plans to
control the fecal coliform problem. The plans included the following; superchlorinate the water
plant filters, add chlorine to the process water in the water plant, and feed bleach directly to the
EQ basin to try and eliminate the fecal all at the same time. I shared my concern with you
regarding too much chlorine entering the wastewater treatment plant and it having a bad effect
on the treatment process. You shared the same concern and assured me that. you will.be
monitoring the chlorine addition very closely.
Please keep me posted on your endeavors and feel free to call me at any time.
Sincerely;
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Don Register
Environmental Technician IV
Cc: Yancy Helton, Stevens Division Engineer
FRO Files
Operator Training.and Certification-
NPDES Compliance Unit, Shannon Langley.
Point Source Branch,. Bill Reed .