090099_NOV Response Barry Billups 9-99_20210203

February 1, 20201
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Division of Water Resources FAYETTEVIO_FRFGIONAI.OFFICE
Fayetteville Regional Office
Dear Mr. Allen and Ms. Fontenot,
This letter is in regards to the notice of violation for facility 9-99. I received a hand delivered
copy from Steve Guyton in January. This discharge resulted from getting 11 inches of rain in
November after the tropical storm. This is the first time since I have had the farms that I have
had a discharge or violation. I try to do things correctly because me and my family lives near
that farm and I want to do the right thing when pumping. I spent over $23,000 in pump and
haul charges to get the lagoon back into compliance. We did pump and haul a second time
because of the rain and the wet field conditions.
Violation 1 — All waste water has been pumped back into the lagoon within 2 days of finding the
water. In the future, I will monitor spray events to prevent discharges/ponding. I added a berm
with 12 loads of clay — 4 foot high and 8 foot wide in the corner of the lagoon. I added an 8"
pipe with a plug to collect water the berm will hold back and then I can pull the plug and let rain
water back in the ditch or pump waste water back in the lagoon. I will re -level that field to
prevent ruts which allowed the discharge/ponding to occur. The lagoon is currently at 27.5" as
of today.
Violation 2 In the future, I will re -level the field to prevent ruts which allowed ponding. I will
run the equipment for reduced times to prevent ponding. I will set a timer on my phone and
turn the system off within 1-2 hours of pumping when the ground may be wetter than desired
as weather permits.
Violation 3 — In the future, I will inspect land application sites every 120 minutes or more often
to ensure that no ponding or run-off occurs. I will set a timer on my phone to make sure that I
am inspecting the system in a timely manner. 1 also can set a timer on the pump to run for 2
hours.
Thank you for revieing my comments and I am trying to improve this situation as quickly as I
can. I am willing to do whatever I need to do to get back into compliance.
Sincerely,
Barry D. Billups
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