WQCS00017_Notice of Violation_20240119 (2)

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Governor
ELIZABETH S.BISER .44
Secretary
RICHARD E.ROGERS,JR. NORTH CAROLINA
Director Environmental Quality
Certified Mail # 7022 0410 0000 7789 5411
Return Receipt Requested
January 19, 2024
Michael Peoples
City of Gastonia
PO Box 1748
Gastonia, NC 28053-1748
SUBJECT: NOTICE OF VIOLATION
Tracking Number: NOV-2024-DV-0021
Sanitary Sewer Overflows - December 2023
Collection System Permit No. WQCS00017
Gastonia Collection System
Gaston County
Dear Mr. Peoples:
The self-reported Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) 5-Day Report submitted by City of Gastonia indicates violations
of permit conditions stipulated in the subject permit and North Carolina G.S. 143-215.1. Violations include failing to
effectively manage, maintain, and operate the subject collection system so that there is no SSO to the land or
surface waters and making an outlet to waters of the State for purposes of G.S. 143-215.1(a)(1), for which a
permit is required.
Specific incident(s) cited in the subject report include the following:
Total Vol
Total Surface
Incident Start Duration Vol Water
Number Date (Mins) Location Cause (Gals) (Gals) DWR Action
202301748 12/26/2023 420 410 OSCEOLA Severe Natural 1,500 1,500 Notice of Violation
S I REET, GASTONIA, Condition
NC 28054
202400001 12/31/2023 120 2118 HOLLANDALE Grease 600 600 Notice of Violation
DRIVE, GASTONIA, NC,
28054
D_E v North Carolina Departmcnt of EnNronmental Quality!D1vit oo of Water Resauces
Mooresvilk Rrglonal Office b10 East Center Avenue.Suite 101 Mooresvllk,North Corollna 28115
704 bel le4o

Remedial actions, if not already implemented, should be taken to correct the above noncompliance. Please submit
a written response to this Notice of Violation. Your response is to be received by the regional office within 15
business days following receipt of this violation. Please include any additional documentation about this incident(s)
in the response. The submittal will be considered in determining whether the Division will assess a civil penalty for
the cited violations.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Joanna Harbison with the Water Quality Section in
the Mooresville Regional Office at 704-663-1699 or via email at [e-mail].
Sincerely,
—DocuSigned by:
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Andrew H. Pitner, P.G., Regional Supervisor
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Mooresville Regional Office
Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ
Cc: Regional Office - WQS File
Central Files, Water Quality Section
[e-mail]
D'Q5 North Caroline Deputmenl o(Envtronmeneal Q b"'Divisbn of Wader R "Nr,"s
!v�` ) Mooresvllk Regional Office b10 East Cenkr Avenue.Suite 30�I McaxesNlk.North Carolina 28n5
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TWO RIVERS UTILITIES(TRU)
P.O. Box 1748
Gastonia,NC 28053-1748
TwoVE infotworiversutilities.com
UTILITIES www.tworiversutilities.com
RECEIVE.
We are TRU to our customers!
FEB - R :('".;
MOORESVILLE QREGIONAL CFF'CE
Certified Mail: # 7009 0820 0001 5806 4585
January 24,2024
Mr.Andrew H. Pitner, P.G.,Assistant Regional Supervisor
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Mooresville Regional Office
Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ
610 East Center Avenue;Suite 301
Mooresville, NC 28115
RE: NOTICE OF VIOLATION&INTENT TO ISSUE CIVIL PENALTY
Tracking No.: NOV-2024-DV-0021
Sanitary Sewer Overflows—December 2023
Collection System Permit No.WQCS00017
Gastonia Collection System(Two Rivers Utilities)
Gaston County
Dear Mr. Pitner:
The City of Gastonia's Two Rivers Utilities(TRU)is in receipt of the referenced Notice of Violation related to the two self-
reported sanitary sewer overflows(SSOs)occurring in December 2023. The intent of this correspondence is to provide
additional information regarding the cause of the SSOs and actions taken to prevent recurrence of such events.
The two SSOs reported are identified below:
Total Total Volume
Incident Duration
Number Start Date (Mins) Location Volume Surface Water
(Gals) (Gals)
202301748 12/26/2023 420 410 Osceola St 1500 1500
Gastonia, NC 28054
202400001 12/31/2023 120 2118 Hollandale Dr. 600 600
Gastonia, NC 28054
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Please find additional information below for each of the two self-reported SSOs:
Incident Number 202301748 Osceola Street
• The SSO was not intentional.
• Cause: The area had a severe weather event with heavy rain and flooding.
• Total Volume: 1500 gallons
• Total Volume Reaching Surface Waters: 1500 gallons
• Duration: The sewer overflow was reported on December 26, 2023 at 2:30pm and ended at 9:30pm. The
emergency response crew responded immediately. Once the flow subsided,the site was cleaned and pulverized
lime was applied. The total SSO duration time was 420 minutes.
• Impacts to Public Health: There were no known or reported impacts to public health.
• Fish Kills: There were no known or reported fish kills.
• Money Saved by Non-Compliance: No expense was saved by non-compliance.
• Actions Taken to Prevent Recurrence: The line was cleaned thoroughly and inspected for damage.
Incident Number 202400001 Hollandale Drive
• The SSO was not intentional.
• Cause: Grease Blockage
• Total Volume: 600 gallons
• Total Volume Reaching Surface Waters: 600 gallons
• Duration: The sewer overflow was reported on December 31, 2023 at 2:00pm and ended at 4:00pm. The
emergency response crew responded immediately,cleared and vacuumed debris and made necessary repairs.
After cleaning the site, pulverized lime was applied. The total SSO duration time was 60 minutes.
• Impacts to Public Health: There were no known or reported impacts to public health.
• Fish Kills: There were no known or reported fish kills.
• Money Saved by Non-Compliance: No expense was saved by non-compliance.
• Actions Taken to Prevent Recurrence: The line was cleaned thoroughly and inspected for damage.
Although there were no identified fish kills,no known negative impacts to public health,and no closures of recreational
areas due to this self-reported SSO,TRU remains sensitive to environmental and public risks associated with SSOs and is
committed to protecting the environment and natural resources. TRU has an active inspection program and personnel
that is trained and certified to perform preventative and corrective maintenance to the utility system. The City is fortunate
to have various construction and specialized equipment, including jetter trailers,combination trucks,enhanced video
equipment/software,SL-Rat(acoustic testing program),and flow monitoring equipment. TRU crews cleaned over 12.7%of
wastewater collection system gravity sanitary sewer lines in 2023. The City's FOG program aggressively addresses grease
problems and we contract on a yearly basis for collection system root control services. We are proactive and continue to
make advancements to improve all programs relating to the care and maintenance of the wastewater collection system.
Thank you for consideration of the information provided herein. If I can provide any additional information,or if you have
any questions, please feel free to contact me via phone at(704)214-9142 or email me at [e-mail].
Sincerely,
Tony Dalton
Division Manager—Utilities Maintenance
cc: Brian Potocki,Director of Public Utilities