NCS000202_Draft Permit Cover Letter_20201103

ROY COOPER
Governor
MICHAEL S. REGAN
Secretary
BRIAN WRENN
Director
Michael Yarborough
The Quartz Corp USA
Post Office Box 309
Spruce Pine, NC 28777-0309
SENT ELECTRONICALLY
Mr. Yarborough:
NORTH CAROLINA
Environmental Quality
November 3, 2020
Subject: Draft NPDES Stormwater Permit
Permit No. NCS000202
KT Mica
Mitchell County
The Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources' Stormwater Permitting Program
acknowledges receipt of your renewal application for coverage under NPDES Permit
No. NCS000202 on December 1, 2013. Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the
DRAFT stormwater permit for your facility. Please review the draft carefully to ensure
thorough understanding of the conditions and requirements it contains.
The draft permit contains the following significant changes from the facility's current
permit:
1. You are required to collect analytical and qualitative monitoring samples
during "measurable storm events" as defined in Part J. This term is
different from the "representative storm event" in earlier permits.
2. Requirements for the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) have
been updated in Part B.
3. Changes have been made to two monitoring parameters. Stormwater
benchmarks are not permit limits, but rather guidelines for implementing the
SWPPP. A benchmark exceedance is not a permit violation; however, the
permittee must respond to exceedances as directed in Part D.
• Nonpolar Oil and Grease per EPA Method 1664 has been added as
a monitoring parameter for outfalls with drainage areas where
industrial activities include the use of >55 gallons of oil per month on
D E Q North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources
512 North Salisbury Street 1 1612 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1612
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average (see Part D of the draft permit). The benchmark for this
parameter is 15 mg/L.
• Estimated average Monthly Oil Usage at the Facility (gallons) has
been added as a parameter. There is no benchmark for this parameter.
4. Tiered responses are included in this permit. Exceedances of benchmark
values require the permittee to increase monitoring, increase management
actions, increase record keeping, and/or install stormwater Best
Management Practices (BMPs) in a tiered program in accordance with Part D
of this permit.
5. New requirements on reporting have been added in Part E to comply with
federal regulations requiring electronic submittal of discharge monitoring
reports. Additionally, this permit contains requirements for future reporting
via eDMR when the forthcoming eDMR internet application is finalized.
6. Civil and administrative penalties have been updated to reflect current
federal law in Part I.
Please review the draft permit and submit any comments to me no later than 30 days
following your receipt of the draft. Comments may be emailed to me at
aana.gamble(@ncdenr.gov or mailed to my attention at NC DEMLR, Stormwater Permitting
Program, 1612 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612. If you have any questions,
please email me or call me at [phone].
Sincerely,
Aana Gamble
DEMLR Stormwater Division
Attachment: Draft Permit NCS000202
cc: Michael Yarborough, The Quartz Corp USA, michael.yarborough thequartzcorp.com
Isaiah Reed, DEMLR Asheville Regional Office, [e-mail]