NC0057151_Draft Permit_20200720

ROY COOPER
Governor
MICHAEL S. REGAN
Secretary
S. DANIEL SMITH
Director
Mayor John Chandler
Town of Mars Hill
P.O. Box 368
Mars Hill, NC 28754-0368
Dear Mayor Chandler:
NORTH CAROLINA
Environmental Quality
July 20, 2020
Subject: DRAFT NPDES PERMIT NCO057151
Mars Hill WWTP
Grade II Biological WPCS [I5A NCAC 08G .0302]
Madison County
Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the draft permit for your facility. Please review the draft very carefully
to ensure thorough understanding of the conditions and requirements it contains. Your permit is among
several in the French Broad River Basin that the Division has targeted for expedited renewal.
This draft contains the following changes from the existing permit:
• The facility's classification (Grade II Biological WPCS) is included above the effluent table
in section A.(1).
• The language in section A.(2) has been updated to be consistent with the finalization of
federal requirements for electronic reporting.
The NPDES standard conditions (Parts II, III, and IV) that are a part of the permit are not included in this
draft document (cover, map, and Part I). The conditions are the same as in your current permit. The latest
version is available at https://bit.ly/2BZ4xxx and can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF file.
With this notification, the Division will solicit public comment on this draft permit by publishing a notice
in newspapers having circulation in the general Madison County area, per EPA requirements. Please
provide your comments, if any, to me no later than 30 days after receiving this draft permit.
Following the 30-day public comment period, the Division will review all pertinent comments and take
appropriate action prior to issuing a final permit. If you have questions concerning the draft, please contact
me via email at [[e-mail]] or call 919-707-9125.
Sincerely,
6��C3 Lauco—
Emily DelDuco
Environmental Specialist II
NPDES Program
ec: NPDES files
Ashesville Regional Office
D E Q�� North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Water Resources
512 North Salisbury Street i 1617 Mail Service Center I Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617
NOFTH Cu'10LINA _�
��� +a+�.111/ 919.707.9000

Permit NCO057151
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
PERMIT
TO DISCHARGE WASTEWATER UNDER THE
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM
(NEDES)
In compliance with the provisions 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,
Town of Mars Hill
is hereby authorized to discharge wastewater from a facility located at the
Mars Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)
504 Cascade Street, Mars Hill
Madison County
to receiving waters designated as Gabriel Creek in the French Broad River Basin in accordance with
effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set forth in Parts I, II, III and IV
hereof.
This permit shall become effective -
This permit and authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on September 30, 2025.
Signed this day ----.
S. Daniel Smith, Director
Division of Water Resources
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Pagel of 6

IkT i M21KIZILIfh11
SUPPLEMENT TO PERMIT COVER SHEET
All previous NPDES Permits issued to this facility, whether for operation or discharge are hereby
revoked. As of this permit issuance, any previously issued permit bearing this number is no longer
effective. Therefore, the exclusive authority to operate and discharge from this facility arises under the
permit conditions, requirements, terms, and provisions included herein.
Town of Mars.Hfll
is hereby authorized to:
1. continue to operate an existing 0.425 MG wastewater treatment Sysilw of
following treatment components: 2"
• comminutor
• bar screen
• grit removal chamber
• flow meter with totalizer
• three (3) aeration tanks
• clarifier
• aerobic digestor with sludge return
• chlorine -contact tank
• sludge drying beds
• standby power supply
these facilities located at the Mars Hill WWTP, 504 Cascade Street, Mars Hill, Madison County,
and
2. discharge from said treatment works via Outfall 001, at the location specified on the attached
map, into Gabriel Creek [Stream Segment 6-96-12], a waterbody currently classified C within
subbasin 04-03-04 [HUC: 060101050805] of the French Broad River Basin.
Page 2 of 6

Permit NCO057151
17:1:la81
A. (L) EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
[ 15A NCAC 02B .0400 et seq.; 02B .0500 et seq.]
Grade II Biological WPCS [15A NCAC 08G .0302]
During the period beginning on the effective date of this permit and lasting until expiration, the
Permittee is authorized to discharge from Outfall 001. Such discharges shall be limited, monitored and
reported 1 by the Permittee as specified below:
EFFLUENT
LIMITS
MONITORING
REQUIREMENTS
CHARACTERISTICS
Monthly
Weekly
Daily
Measurement
Sample
Sample
(Parameter Codes)
Average
Average
Maximum
Frequency
Type
Location 2
Flow
00500
0.425 MGD
Continuous
Recording
I or E
Total Residual Chlorines
C0530
17 µg/L
2/Week
Grab
E
BOD, 5-day (20°C) 4
C0310
30.0 mg/L
45.0 mg/L
Weekly
Composite
I & E
Total Suspended Solids 4
C0530
30.0 mg/L
45.0 mg/L
Weekly
Composite
I & E
Dissolved Oxygen
00300
Daily Ave. > 5.0 mg/L
Weekly
Grab
E
Temperature CC)
00010
Weekly
Grab
E
NH3 as N
(April 1 — October 31)
C0610
2.0 mg/L
6.0 mg/L
Weekly
Composite
E
NH3 as N
(November 1 — March 31)
C0610
4.0 mg/L
12.0 mg/1.
Weekly
Composite
E
Fecal Coliform
31616
200/100 ml
400/100
Weekly
Grab
E
(geometric mean)
ml
pH
00400
Not < 6.0 or > 9.0 Standard Un its
Weekly
Grab
E
Total Nitrogen
C0600
Semi -Annually
Composite
E
(NO2+NO3+TKN)
Total Phosphorus
C0665
Semi -Annually
Composite
E
Dissolved Oxygen
00300
Weekly
Grab
U & D
Temperature (°C)
00100
Weekly
Grab
U & D
Footnotes:
1. The Permittee shall submit discharge monitoring data electronically using the NCDWR's Electronic
Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) internet application [see Section A. (2.)].
2. E = Effluent; I = Influent; U = Upstream 50 fl from the outfall; D = Downstream two (2) miles at NCSR 1559
3. Total Residual Chlorine (TRC) - The Division shall consider compliant all effluent TRC values reported below
50 µg/L. However, the Permittee shall continue to record and report all values detected by North Carolina -
certified test methods (including field certified), even if these values fall below 50 µg/L.
4. The monthly average effluent BOD5 and Total Suspended Solids concentrations shall not exceed 15% of the
respective influent value (i.e., 85% removal required).
Condition: This discharge shall contain of floating solids or foam.
Page 3 of 6

Permit NCO057151
A. (2.) ELECTRONIC REPORTING - DISCHARGE MONITORING REPORTS
[G.S. 143-215.1(b)]
Federal regulations require electronic submittal of all discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) and
program reports. The fmal NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule was adopted and became effective on
December 21, 2015.
NOTE: This special condition supplements or supersedes the following sections within Part Il of this
permit (Standard Conditions for NPDES Permits):
• Section B. (11.) Signatory Requirements
• Section D. (2.) Reporting
• Section D. (6.) Records Retention
• Section E. (5.) Monitoring Reports
1. Reportine Requirements [Supersedes Section D. (2.) and Section E. (5.) (a)l
The permittee shall report discharge monitoring data electronically using the NC DWR's Electronic
Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) internet application.
Monitoring results obtained during the previous month(s) shall be summarized for each month and
submitted electronically using eDMR. The eDMR system allows permitted facilities to enter
monitoring data and submit DMRs electronically using the internet. The eDMR system may be
accessed at: https:Hdeq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr.
If a permittee is unable to use the eDMR system due to a demonstrated hardship or due to the
facility being physically located in an area where less than 10 percent of the households have
broadband access, then a temporary waiver from the NPDES electronic reporting requirements may
be granted and discharge monitoring data may be submitted on paper DMR forms (MR 1, 1. 1, 2, 3)
or alternative forms approved by the Director. Duplicate signed copies shall be submitted to the
following address:
NC DEQ / Division of Water Resources / Water Quality Permitting Section
ATTENTION: Central Files
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617
See "How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below.
Regardless of the submission method, the first DMR is due on the last day of the month following
the issuance of the permit or in the case of a new facility, on the last day of the month following the
commencement of discharge.
Starting on December 21, 2020, the permittee must electronically report the following compliance
monitoring data and reports, when applicable:
Sewer Overflow/Bypass Event Reports;
Pretreatment Program Annual Reports; and
Page 4 of 6

Permit NCO057151
• Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 316(b) Annual Reports.
➢NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule — Phase 2 Extension. EPA is proposing to extend the Phase
2 deadline from December 21, 2020 until at least December 21, 2023. The current compliance
date will be extended if the implementation date is extended as a final regulation change in the
federal register.
The permittee may seek an electronic reporting waiver from the Division (see "How to Request a
Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below).
2. Electronic Submissions
In accordance with 40 CFR 122.41(1)(9), the permittee must identify the initial recipient at the time
of each electronic submission. The permittee should use the EPA's website resources to identify the
initial recipient for the electronic submission.
Initial recipient of electronic NPDES information from NPDES-regulated facilities means the entity
(EPA or the state authorized by EPA to implement the NPDES program) that is the designated
entity for receiving electronic NPDES data [see 40 CFR 127.2(b)].
EPA plans to establish a website that will also link to the appropriate electronic reporting tool for
each type of electronic submission and for each state. Instructions on how to access and use the
appropriate electronic reporting tool will be available as well. Information on EPA's NPDES
Electronic Reporting Rule is found at:
https://www. federalregister. gov/documents/2015/ 10/22/2015-24954/national-pollutant-discharge-
elimination-s, st�pdes-electronic-reporting rule
Electronic submissions must start by the dates listed in the "Reporting Requirements" section above.
3. How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting
The permittee may seek a temporary electronic reporting waiver from the Division. To obtain an
electronic reporting waiver, a permittee must first submit an electronic reporting waiver request to
the Division. Requests for temporary electronic reporting waivers must be submitted in writing to
the Division for written approval at least sixty (60) days prior to the date the facility would be
required under this permit to begin submitting monitoring data and reports. The duration of a
temporary waiver shall not exceed 5 years and shall thereupon expire. At such time, monitoring
data and reports shall be submitted electronically to the Division unless the permittee re -applies for
and is granted a new temporary electronic reporting waiver by the Division. Approved electronic
reporting waivers are not transferrable. Only permittees with an approved reporting waiver request
may submit monitoring data and reports on paper to the Division for the period that the approved
reporting waiver request is effective.
Information on eDMR and the application for a temporary electronic reporting waiver are found on
the following web page: littp://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr
Page 5 of 6

Permit NC0057151
4. Sianatory Requirements 1Supplements Section B. (11.) (b) and Supersedes Section B. (11.) (d)l
All eDMRs submitted to the permit issuing authority shall be signed by a person described in Part II,
Section B. (I I.)(a) or by a duly authorized representative of that person as described in Part 11,
Section B. (I 1.)(b). A person, and not a position, must be delegated signatory authority for eDMR
reporting purposes.
For eDMR submissions, the person signing and submitting the DMR must obtain an eDMR user
account and login credentials to access the eDMR system. For more information on North
Carolina's eDMR system, registering for eDMR and obtaining an eDMR user account, please visit
the following web page:
http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr
Certification. Any person submitting an electronic DMR using the state's eDMR system shall make
the following certification [40 CFR 122.221. NO OTHER STATEMENTS OF CERTIFICATION
WILL BE ACCEPTED:
V certify, under penalty of law, that this document and all attachments were prepared under my
direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel
properly gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or
persons who manage the system, or those persons directly responsible for gathering the
information, the information submitted is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, accurate,
and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information,
including the possibility of fines and imprisonment for knowing violations. "
5. Records Retention [Supplements Section D. (6.)]
The permittee shall retain records of all Discharge Monitoring Reports, including eDMR submissions.
These records or copies shall be maintained for a period of at least 3 years from the date of the report.
This period may be extended by request of the Director at any time [40 CFR 122.41 ].
Page 6 of 6

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flow SW) TR• 25) 1 • i;
NCSR 213
� 1 p
e '�' I
Gabriel Creek i ��� • ,� 1 r
flows S
t
---� . • G� � '800 - l__ �•� a a��
\ 100 1 • I r ' i li a • � � / 4
� 1 r
5 ~ lid I4�00 1 .
��� l/I 1 4 •s
HWY 19/23
Down Stream Sample Point =�
[NCSR 1559]
Town of Mars Hill WWTP
Facility
Location .,
Latitude: 35° 49' 38" N State Grid/Quad: D 8 SE / Mars Hill, NC
Longitude: 82° 33' 28" W Permitted Flow: 0.425 MGD
not to scale
Receiving Stream: Gabriel Creek Drainage Basin: French Broad River
Stream Class: C Sub -Basin: 04-03-04
Stream Segment 6-96-12 HUC: 06010105
J�,Orth,
NPDES Permit NCO017111
1
Madison County