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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNC0000272_Comments_20210506 BLUE RIDGE PAPER PRODUCTS' COMMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE RENEWAL OF NPDES PERMIT#NC 0000272 AND PROPOSED REMOVAL OF COLOR VARIANCE (via e-mail to publiccomments@ncdenr.gov) Blue Ridge Paper Products LLC d/b/a Evergreen Packaging("Blue Ridge Paper"),submits these written comments in support of the renewal of NPDES Permit#NC 0000272 and removal of the color variance. 1. Timing of Permit Renewal A. Blue Ridge Paper timely filed application for renewal of its NPDES Permit on December 31, 2014. In March of 2015, work on the issuance of the permit was stayed at the request of Region 4 of EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation("TDEC"),so that a study of the Pigeon River basin in North Carolina and Tennessee could be conducted. B. From March of 2015 to the fall of 2017, EPA collected existing information on the Pigeon River basin from Blue Ridge Paper, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality("DEQ) and TDEC. C. In March of 2017,EPA decided that the basin study was no longer a part of its core mission. Despite requests from DEQ, EPA has not produced any "report" of the basin study. D. Since the fall of 2017, Blue Ridge Paper has been working closely with DEQ on the renewal of the permit. E. Prior to issuance of the draft NPDES Permit and removal of the color variance, DEQ submitted the draft NPDES Permit and removal of the color variance to EPA Region 4 and TDEC for input and comment. F. The public hearing on the draft NPDES Permit and removal of the color variance was originally scheduled for January 20,2021. The public hearing was rescheduled at the request of TDEC and held on April 14, 2021. 2. Temperature A. The current NPDES permit has a weekly average limit for temperature. Blue Ridge Paper believes the temperature limit should continue to be a weekly average, and has so advised DEQ. D RECEIVE MA`( 0 6 2021 NDDECIDW°NPDES B. Blue Ridge Paper does not believe a daily temperature limit is necessary to prevent temperature spikes and fish kills. The temperature of the Mill effluent does not vary widely, and there is always a zone of passage at Fibreville Bridge not affected by Mill discharge. See comments of Charles C. Coutant, Ph.D. attached. C. The most recent 316A study,which was required under the current NPDES Permit, was done in 2012 and 2013, as part of a settlement of contested cases challenging the 2010 NPDES Permit and Color Variance. The study determined there was a balanced and indigenous community above and below the mill. The study was approved by DEQ in January, 2019. The proposed NPDES permit includes, in Section A. (12) on page 18, a requirement that another 316A study be conducted during the permit term. 3. Dioxin A. Dioxin has been non-detect in the Canton Mill effluent since 1989. B. EPA did intensive high-volume sampling for dioxin in the Pigeon River downstream of the Mill in 2014. Dioxin was detected in the samples. None of the samples exceeded the North Carolina Water Quality standard for dioxin. C. Sediments were also sampled, and dioxin was detected in the sediment. There is no standard for dioxin in sediment. A report of the dioxin sampling is included with these comments. D. The draft NPDES Permit, A. (9.)on pages 17 and 18, requires fish tissue sampling for dioxin in the second year of the permit. If any of the sample results exceed NC DIHHS' 4 part per trillion TEQ action level, Blue Ridge Paper will conduct additional fish tissue sampling in the 4th year of the permit 4. Technolo2v Based Limits A. EPA publishes effluent guidelines for pulp and paper. B. EPA did not publish an effluent guideline for color. Instead, EPA decided color should be regulated on a site specific, case by case basis, using Best Professional Judgment(of the permit writer). C. In developing the draft NPDES Permit, North Carolina determined that the water quality standard for color is being met. So, there is no need for North Carolina to develop a technology based limit for color. Instead, North Carolina conducted a reasonable potential analysis to determine whether or not the water quality standard ' The last fish kill in the Pigeon River was in September,2007,during a drought period of extremely low flow and extreme ambient temperature(90°). for color would be exceeded. DEQ determined there is no reasonable potential for violation of the color standard so long as the Canton Mill is required to meet an effluent limit of 36,000 lbs per day (annual average), 52,000 lbs per day (monthly average)and 105,000 lbs per day(daily maximum). As an additional check, DEQ included instream A 50 at Fibreville. 5. North Carolina Water Quality Standard for Color—Removal of the Color Variance A. North Carolina has a narrative water quality standard for color set forth at Title 15A North Carolina Administrative Code, Subchapter 2B.0211(12): (12) Oils, deleterious substances, or colored or other wastes: only such amounts as shall not render the waters injurious to public health, secondary recreation, or to aquatic life and wildlife, or adversely affect the palatability of fish, aesthetic quality, or impair the waters for any designated uses. B. Tennessee also has a narrative water quality standard for color. Historically, EPA and others have interpreted the NC standard to be 50 platinum cobalt units of true color(50 milligrams per liter). Blue Ridge Paper believes all of the components of North Carolina's narrative water quality standard for color are being met. C. The 50 mg/I standard has never been formally promulgated as a water quality standard by EPA or North Carolina. Prior studies attempting to establish a new numeric interpretation of the NC standard for aesthetic purposes proved unsuccessful. D. Blue Ridge Paper, with the assistance of the AquAeTer consulting firm, analyzed Canton Mill effluent color, instream monitoring results for color and flow data for the period July 2010 through December 31, 2020. Results of the analysis demonstrate that color in the Pigeon River, at flows equal to or greater than 129 cubic feet per second, averages 50 mg/1 or less true color at the Fibreville Bridge more than 90%of the time. Average color upstream of the Canton Mill is 13 true color units. Color at the NC/Tennessee state line averages 17 true color units. The AquAeTer report on data through 2017 and an accompanying submittal were provided to DEQ in January 2018.2 Blue Ridge Paper submitted an updated report from AquAeTer including data through the end of 2018. An updated report including data through December 31, 2020, is being submitted with these comments. E. The Color Variance should be removed as all components of the NC standard are being met. 2 Evergreen Packaging Submittal to North Carolina Regarding Compliance with North Carolina Water Quality Standard for Color,January 31, 2018. 6. Chloroform — The proposed increase in chloroform is based on EPA's revision of guidelines for chloroform. A. The chloroform limit is not an effluent limit. This is a limit on the amount of chloroform coming out of the pine and hardwood bleach plants. Blue Ridge Paper would propose that the limits in the 2010 NPDES Permit be retained in the renewed NPDES Permit. 7. Backsliding A. The proposed NPDES Permit, with corrected temperature limit, does not represent any backsliding. The effluent limits for color remain the same. In other words,no more color is allowed in the draft permit than in the current permit. The term, "backsliding," is misplaced and is not applicable here. 8. Fecal Coliform A. Blue Ridge Paper has treated wastewater from the Town of Canton since 1964. Blue Ridge Paper acknowledges that there were issues with chlorination of the Town of Canton's wastewater prior to discharging to the Canton Mill's waste treatment system. Blue Ridge Paper believes those issues have been resolved. 9. Documents Blue Ridge Paper is submitting additional documents in support of the Permit renewal and removal of the color variance. A list of the documents being submitted is attached hereto as Exhibit A. The documents can be accessed at the following link: https://rsncl.roberts-stevens.com/index.php/s/sKvEnYHN2DMpS7q Exhibit A Documents Submitted with Blue Ridge Paper, LLC's Comments Following Public Hearing on Renewal of NPDES Permit and Removal of Color Variance https://rsnc 1.roberts-stevens.com/index.php/s/sKvEnYHN2DMpS7q 1. Letter to Sergei Chemikov 2. Evergreen Submittal with History of Color Standard in Pigeon River 3. AquAeTer Analysis of Color Concentration in Pigeon River(through 2017) 4. Evergreen Memorandum on History of 50 Color Unit Standard 5. Updated Color Concentration Report by AquAeTer(data through December 31,2018) 6. Updated Color Concentration Report by AquAeTer(data through December 31,2020) 7. Color Chart through 2019 8. Responses to EPA Region 4 questions February 2020 9. Charles C. Coutant Responses to Information Requests from EPA Region 4 to NCDEQ (July 2020) 10. Fact Sheet Temperature Edits Coutant 1-28-21 11. Evergreen Packaging—Color Tech Update 12. Color Benchmarking 2014 EKONO 13. Color Benchmarking 2018 for Evergreen Packaging by EKONO (2017 data) 14. US EPA Report of Pigeon River High Volume Sampling August 2014 15. NCDEQ Letter Approving 316a Report(Cindy Karolyi) 16. Engineering Alternative Analysis by AquAeTer