NCG020689_Reissuance Letter with COC_20100211

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NCDENR
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Beverly Eaves Perdue
Governor
James Hill
North American Emerald Mines Inc
531 Duncan Ln
Hiddenite, NC 28636
Dear Permittee:
Division of Water Quality
Coleen H. Sullins
Director
February 11, 2010
Dee Freeman
Secretary
Subject: NPDES Stormwater Permit Coverage Renewal
North American Emerald Mines, Inc.
COC Number NCG020689
Alexander County
In response to your renewal application for continued coverage under stormwater General Permit NCG020000
the Division of Water Quality (DWQ) is forwarding herewith the reissued stormwater General Permit. This permit
is reissued pursuant to the requirements of North Carolina General Statute 143-215.1 and the Memorandum of
Agreement between the state of North Carolina and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, dated October 15,
2007 (or as subsequently amended).
The following information is included with your permit package:
• A new Certificate of Coverage
• A copy of stormwater General Permit NCG020000
• A copy of a Technical Bulletin for the General Permit
• Two copies of the Tier 2 / Exceedence Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Form for Stormwater
• One copy each of the Annual Summary DMR Forms for Stormwater and Wastewater
• Two copies of the Limit Violation DMR Form for Wastewater
• Two copies of the Qualitative Monitoring Report Form
The General Permit authorizes discharges of stormwater and wastewater, and it specifies your obligations with
respect to discharge controls, management, monitoring, and record keeping. Please review the new permit to
familiarize yourself with all the changes in the reissued permit. If your Certificate of Coverage (COC) restricts
authorization to discharge stormwater only (or other limited terms) based on your original application, or
subsequent modifications to your COC, you must continue to meet these requirements or contact the Stormwater
Permitting Unit to request a modification of this renewal COC.
The more significant changes in the General Permit since your last Certificate of Coverage include the following:
Part II:
• Section B — Language referencing PAMS has been changed. Flocculants may now be used if evaluated
by the Division and administered in accordance with maximum application doses and other requirements.
Part III:
• Section A — The permit now requires a Stormwater Pollution and Prevention Plan (SPPP) tailored to the
mining industry, in lieu of a Stormwater BMP Plan.
• Section A - Inactive mines may be inspected on a reduced schedule: at least once per month and after
0.5" (or more) of rain. To qualify, inactive mines must possess an "Inactive Renewal" from DLR or certify
to DWQ the site has been stabilized. The permittee must notify the DWQ Regional Office of inactive
status. Discharges from inactive mines must still be monitored on the same schedule as active mines.
Wetlands and Stormwater Branch
1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617
Location: 512 N. Salisbury St. Raleigh, North Carolina 27604 One
Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone] Customer Service: 1-877-623-6748 NofthCarohna
Internet: www.ncwaterquality.org Xaturallf
An Equal Opportunity 1 Affirmative Action Employer

Permit Reissuance — Permit Number NCG020689
February 11, 2010
Page 2
• Section B — Revised provisions require that stormwater discharges be sampled twice per year (instead of
annually), and that the sampling results be compared to new benchmark values. (The previous cut-off
concentrations have been removed.)
• Section B — Revised provisions require the permittee to execute Tier One, Tier Two & Tier Three
response actions, based on the first benchmark exceedence (Tier One) and the second consecutive
benchmark exceedence (Tier Two). Tier Two requires that the permittee institute monthly monitoring
(reported to the appropriate Regional Offices) instead of twice -per -year monitoring. Monthly monitoring
shall be done until three consecutive monitoring events show no benchmark exceedences.
• Section B — This part contains a new provision that four exceedences of any benchmark will trigger
increased DWQ involvement in the permittee's stormwater management and control actions. DWQ may
direct the permittee to apply for an individual permit, institute specific monitoring, or may direct the
implementation or installation of specific stormwater control measures.
• Section B — The definition of "Representative Storm Event" (RSE) now allows 48 hours (instead of 72
hours) of little or no precipitation to precede an RSE.
• Section B — Stormwater discharges from a basin designed to contain the 10-year storm must now be
monitored.
• Sections B & C — Failure to monitor according to permit terms triggers monthly monitoring for the
remainder of the permit.
• Section C — Analytical monitoring for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) has replaced the Oil & Grease
parameter in the previous permit.
• Section D — Qualitative monitoring must now be conducted during the same representative storm event
as the analytical monitoring.
• Section D — The permittee is required to keep a written record of his response to problems identified by
his qualitative monitoring observations.
• Section D — If the permittee fails to respond effectively to problems identified by qualitative monitoring, the
permittee may be required by DWQ to perform corrective action.
Section D — Qualitative ROS: Representative Outfall Status may be granted for qualitative monitoring for
some Stormwater Discharge Outfalls (SDOs).
• Section D — If mines do not respond to problems seen in visual monitoring, DWQ may now require that
mines change the monitoring frequency, apply for an individual permit, implement in -stream monitoring,
install or modify structural stormwater controls, or implement other controls.
• Sections B, C, & D — Inability to sample due to adverse weather must be reported in the SPPP and
recorded in the Annual Summary DMR.
• Section E — A lower TSS Wastewater limit for PNA waters is included in the permit.
• Section E — All mining operations are now required to monitor TSS in wastewater effluent discharges (not
only industrial sand mines). However, TSS limits only apply to industrial sand mining operations.
• Section E — Turbidity limits on effluent discharges have been removed; however, turbidity standards still
apply in the receiving waters.
• Section E — Approval of a Pumping O&M Plan may be required prior to coverage (for sites with
dewatering activities that have the potential to drain wetlands or other surface waters).
• Section E — ATC Requirements have been changed for clarity. These requirements are now outlined for
Mine Dewatering Wastewater, Process Wastewater, Overflow From Non -Closed -Loop Process Recycle
Wastewater Systems, and Overflow From A Closed -Loop Process Recycle (CLPR).
• Section E — Monitoring for Fecal coliforms in discharges to SA waters has been clarified. Fecal coliform
monitoring is now required for all process and mine dewatering wastewater discharges to SA waters.
Part IV:
• Section E — Items 1. and 2. require submittal of a new reporting form: the Annual Summary DMR. This
annual summary of the analytical monitoring results should be submitted to the DWQ Central Office by
March 1 of each year.
• Section E — Exceedences and violations must be sent to the appropriate DWQ Regional Office within 30
days of receipt from the lab.
• Section E — Results of "No Flow" or "No Discharge" must be recorded within 30 days from the sampling
period in the SPPP. "No flow" or "No Discharge" must also be reported on the Annual Summary DMR
form.

Permit Reissuance — Permit Number NCG020689
February 11, 2010
Page 3
Your coverage under the General Permit is transferable only through the specific action of DWQ.
This permit does not affect the legal requirements to obtain other permits which may be required by DENR, nor
does it relieve the permittee from responsibility for compliance with any other applicable federal, state, or local
law, rule, standard, ordinance, order, judgment, or decree.
If you have any questions regarding this permit package please contact these members of the Stormwater
Permitting Unit: Jennifer Jones at [phone] or Bethany Georgoulias at [phone].
Sincerely,
for Coleen H. Sullins
cc: DWQ Central Files
Stormwater Permitting Unit Files
Mooresville Regional Office

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DIVISION OF WATER QUALITY
GENERAL PERMIT NO. NCG020000
CERTIFICATE OF COVERAGE No. NCG020689
STORMWATER, MINE DEWATERING WATER AND/OR PROCESS WASTEWATER
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM
In compliance with the provision of North Carolina General Statute 143-215.1, other lawful standards
and regulations promulgated and adopted by the North Carolina Environmental Management
Commission, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended,
North American Emerald Mines Inc
is hereby authorized to operate approved wastewater treatment system(s) and discharge stormwater
and/or wastewater, as approved in the original permit/application or subsequent permit modification,
from a facility located at:
North American Emerald Mines, Inc.
531 Duncan Ln
Hiddenite
Alexander County
to receiving waters designated as Wallace Creek, a class WS-II;HQW waterbody in the Yadkin River
Basin in accordance with the effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set forth
in Parts I, II, III, IV, V, and VI of General Permit No. NCG020000 as attached.
This certificate of coverage shall become effective February 11, 2010.
This Certificate of Coverage shall remain in effect for the duration of the General Permit.
Signed this 11t" day of February, 2010.
for Coleen H. Sullins, Director
Division of Water Quality
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission