DEQ-CFW_00010429

Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Annual Status Report on Individually Permitted Discharging Systems per N.C.G.S. 143-215.9A
For the Period Beginning July 1, 2011 and Ending June 30, 2012.
Summary
North Carolina General Statute (G. S.) 143 -215.9A requires the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to report to the
Environmental Review Commission and the Fiscal Research Division on the status of facilities discharging into surface waters during
the previous fiscal year. Facilities discharging into surface waters are required by G. S. 143 -2 15. 1 to first apply for and secure a permit
from the Environmental Management Commission. As a result, the data provided within this fiscal report is captured for those facilities
individually permitted with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits.
The following tables are enclosed summarizing activities for July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012 per the general statute:
• Table 1. Status of Civil Penalty Assessments. A summary of the number of enforcement actions taken, civil penalties assessed
and collected, and remissions requested. Due to the lengthy assessment process, total civil penalties assessed and total civil
penalties collected will not coincide in the same fiscal year.
The Division of Water Quality's current data management system cannot track information on the number of violations found
during each inspection, the date of the violation, or the nature of the violation. Funding has been allocated for the initial
development phase to allow entry and summarization of this information; however, completion of the update will require further
funding.
Since July 1, 1998, each regional office water quality supervisor has had the authority, through delegation by the Director of the
Division of Water Quality (DWQ) to sign all Civil Penalty Assessments for fast -track enforcement actions for violations of
NPDES Permit effluent limits and/or monitoring frequencies in accordance with G.S. 143-215.6A.
Most enforcement actions are based on violations of permit limits or monitoring requirements. However, there are other
enforcement actions that may be generated due to other permit condition violations including, but not limited to, discharge
violations (resulting from collection system overflows), late submission of Discharge Monitoring Reports, late submission of
Toxicity Test results, violations of pre-treatment program requirements, improper operation & maintenance of treatment works, or
by-pass of treatment works.
-Table 2. Status of Individually Permitted Facilities. A summary of the number and types of permits issued by each regional
office along with the numbers of compliance and other inspections. Other inspections include:
• Audit Inspections: a comprehensive review of all elements of a municipal's pretreatment program including a records
review & an inspection of an industrial facility conducted once every 5 years;
• Bioassay Compliance Inspections: evaluates the biological effect of a pernuttee's effluent discharge on test organisms
using acute and chronic toxicity testing;
• Compliance Sampling Inspections: a sampling inspection designed to verify the permittee's compliance with applicable
permit self -monitoring requirements - analytical results from representative samples collected during the inspection are
used to evaluate the perntittee's compliance;
• Diagnostic Inspections: focuses on Publicly Owned Treatment Works that have not achieved permit compliance — the
purpose is to identify the causes of noncompliance, suggest immediate remedies, and support current or future enforcement
action;
• Operation & Maintenance Inspections: focuses on the operation and maintenance aspect of a facility;
• Performance Audit Inspections: inspections that include actual observation of the permittee performing the self -monitoring
process from sample collection and flow measurements through laboratory analyses, data work -up and reporting-,
• Pre -Treatment Inspections: an annual inspection of a municipal's pretreatment program and
• Toxicity Sampling Inspections: same as Compliance Sampling Inspections — however, increased emphasis is placed on
toxic substances regulated by the NPDES permit.
• Table 3. Status of Special Orders by Consent (SOCs). Special Orders by Consent are a mutually (between the state and the
permittee) agreed order that establishes timelines and relaxed permit limits to correct a problem of noncompliance while
minimizing costs and damage to human health and the environment.
• Table 4. Names and Locations of Individually Permitted Discharging Systems. The names and locations of the individually
permitted discharging facilities by Regional Office. The Regional Offices are abbreviated as follows:
ARO —
Asheville Regional Office
WARO — Washington Regional Office
FRO —
Fayetteville Regional Office
WIRO — Wilmington Regional Office
MRO
-- Mooresville Regional Office
WSRO -- Winston-Salem Regional Office
RRO —
Raleigh Regional Office
DEQ-CFW-00010429