DEQ-CFW_00007161

Individual Permits — Major Industrial
There are 66 major industrial permits, mostly all large privately owned companies. Twenty-one ofthe
66 companies are currently monitoring their wastewaters for Cadmium, Lead and/or Nickel. The review
focused on these 21 facilities since the adoption of the Triennial Review Standards will mainly affect or
rather decrease the allowable concentration levels of these parameters. Often a parameter is not
limited in permit unless itisa pollutant showing reasonable potential toviolate a State Water Quality
Standard. However, inindustrial permits this iunot always true. Many ofthese facilities are required to
monitor certain parameters because they are federally regulated categorical industries. For example
metal plating companies are regulated under Federal Effluent Guidelines for Electroplating and Power
Companies are regulated under Federal Effluent Guidelines for Steam Electric Plants. These federal
regulations specify what pollutants are to be monitored and often provide guidelines on allowable
concentrations. These federal allowable concentrations are compared against NC State Water Quality
Standards(WQS), for each pollutant and the most stringent concentration is put in the permit as a final
effluent limitation. Which is more stringent, the Federal Effluent Guidelines orthe State VVQS's, is
dependent on several factors such as production, volume of discharge, size of the receiving stream, etc.
A thorough review of the Reasonable Potential Analyses to violate NC State WQS for metals was
performed on nine of the 21 potentially affected industries discussed above. Three ofthe nine
industries reviewed would beaffected bythe proposed standards. Therefore ifvveextrapolate the
results to the 21 facilities which are potentially impacted by the adoption of the proposed standards 3/9
or 1/3 d of the 21 facilities are potentially impacted. This does not mean the other facilities will not be
affected only that they are not showing cadmium, lead, or nickel as a pollutant of concern at this time in
their wastewater discharge.
The 21 of the 66 facilities currently monitoring for cadmium, lead and/or nickel are highlighted in yellow
on the attached spreadsheet —Major Industries. Reasonable Potential Analyses toviolate N[State WQS
for metals were reviewed for the following permittees.
The three facilities potentially impacted include:
OEQ-CFVV_00007161