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Home My WebLink AboutNCG551558_NOD2021PC0390_Compliance Evaluation Inspection_20210630 SENT VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY: NO HARD COPY WILL BE MAILED . June 30, 2021 Ramin Bonner & Deborah Vanorden Email: debdo31@yahoo.com SUBJECT: NOTICE OF DEFICIENCY Tracking Number: NOD-2021-PC-0390 Permit No. NCG551558 408 Mystic River Valley Swain County Dear Permittee: The North Carolina Division of Water Resources conducted an inspection of the 408 Mystic River Valley on June 24, 2021. This inspection was conducted to verify that the facility is operating in compliance with the conditions and limitations specified in NPDES WW Permit No. NCG551558. A summary of the findings and comments noted during the inspection are provided in the enclosed copy of the inspection report. The Compliance Evaluation inspection was conducted by Division of Water Resources staff from the Asheville Regional Office. The following deficiencies were noted during the inspection: Inspection Area Description of Deficiency _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Septic Tank The septic tank has not been checked in over a year and pumping records were not available at the time of the inspection. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Effluent Sampling Annual sampling has not been conducted. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DocuSign Envelope ID: 9B1B674C-75DD-4952-A4D4-91CF489F580E Remedial actions should have already been taken to correct this problem and prevent further occurrences in the future. The Division of Water Resources may pursue enforcement action for this and any additional violations of State law. To prevent further action, carefully review these deficiencies and address the causes of non-compliance to prevent the recurrence of similar situations. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Lauren Armeni with the Water Quality Regional Operations Section in the Asheville Regional Office at 828-296-4500. Sincerely, Daniel Boss, Assistant Regional Supervisor Water Quality Regional Operations Section Asheville Regional Office Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ ATTACHMENTS: Inspection Report Ec: LF Hugh Shannon (Operator, Mountain Soils, Inc.) DocuSign Envelope ID: 9B1B674C-75DD-4952-A4D4-91CF489F580E EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Water Compliance Inspection Report Form Approved. OMB No. 2040-0057 Approval expires 8-31-98 Section A: National Data System Coding (i.e., PCS) Transaction Code NPDES yr/mo/day Inspection Type Inspector Fac Type 1 N 52 NCG551558 21/06/24 C S31112171819 20 21 66 Inspection Work Days Facility Self-Monitoring Evaluation Rating B1 QA ----------------------Reserved------------------- N67707172 73 74 75 80 Section B: Facility Data Name and Location of Facility Inspected (For Industrial Users discharging to POTW, also include POTW name and NPDES permit Number) 408 Mystic River Valley 408 Mystic River Vly Bryson City NC 28713 Entry Time/Date Permit Effective Date Exit Time/Date Permit Expiration Date 10:00AM 21/06/24 13/09/01 Name(s) of Onsite Representative(s)/Titles(s)/Phone and Fax Number(s) /// Other Facility Data 10:30AM 21/06/24 18/07/31 Name, Address of Responsible Official/Title/Phone and Fax Number Arthur S Lazarus,PO Box 207 Landrum SC 293560207///Contacted No Section C: Areas Evaluated During Inspection (Check only those areas evaluated) Permit Operations & Maintenance Self-Monitoring Program Effluent/Receiving Waters Section D: Summary of Finding/Comments (Attach additional sheets of narrative and checklists as necessary) (See attachment summary) Name(s) and Signature(s) of Inspector(s)Agency/Office/Phone and Fax Numbers Date Lauren E Armeni DWR/ARO WQ/828-296-4500/ Signature of Management Q A Reviewer Agency/Office/Phone and Fax Numbers Date EPA Form 3560-3 (Rev 9-94) Previous editions are obsolete. Page#1 DocuSign Envelope ID: 9B1B674C-75DD-4952-A4D4-91CF489F580E 7/1/2021 7/1/2021 NPDES yr/mo/day 21/06/24 Inspection Type C3111218 1 Section D: Summary of Finding/Comments (Attach additional sheets of narrative and checklists as necessary) Lauren Armeni with the Asheville Regional Office conducted a compliance evaluation inspection of the single-family wastewater disposal system that services 408 Mystic River Valley. This inspection was conducted to determine whether the system is being operated and maintained in compliance with General NPDES Permit No. NCG550000. The facility consists of a buffer tank (septic tank), equalization (EQ) tank, dual filter-membrane tanks in series, air supply pump (fine bubble difuser), pressure pump, reverse osmosis (RO) nano-filtration system, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system (as backup to the RO system), discharge with effluent sample point, and effluent piping to riprap at the outfall point. Tanks are located above-ground on the ground floor of the house and have a water tight seal. All electronics are located above the flood plain. The Certificate of Coverage under the General Permit is currently expired. Past due annual fees need to be paid, and a Change of Ownership form needs to be filled out. Invoices and the Change of Ownership form were emailed to one of the operators of the system, Hugh Shannon, with Mountain Soils, Inc. The following deficiencies were noted during the inspection: 1. Septic Tank: The septic tank solids level has not been checked in over a year;. Mr. Shannon stated that the tank has been pumped in the past five years, but pumping records were not available at the time of the inspection. 2. Effluent Sampling: The effluent pipe was located and was discharging at the time of the inspection. Since the facility was not visited in over a year, annual sampling has not been conducted. Annual sampling must be conducted to remain in compliance with General NPDES Permit No. NCG550000. During the inspection, Mr. Shuler and Mr. Ledford stated that they had not been to the facility in over a year and that it was possible the bacteria in the system were dead. The system will need to be thoroughly checked and maintained to ensure it is functioning properly. NCG551558 17 (Cont.) Page#2 DocuSign Envelope ID: 9B1B674C-75DD-4952-A4D4-91CF489F580E Permit:NCG551558 Inspection Date:06/24/2021 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: 408 Mystic River Valley Compliance Evaluation Permit Yes No NA NE (If the present permit expires in 6 months or less). Has the permittee submitted a new application? Is the facility as described in the permit? # Are there any special conditions for the permit? Is access to the plant site restricted to the general public? Is the inspector granted access to all areas for inspection? The Certificate of Coverage for this General Permit is currently expired. The new owners need to fill out a Change of Ownership form and pay any outstanding invoices in order to obtain a current and updated CoC. Comment: Operations & Maintenance Yes No NA NE Is the plant generally clean with acceptable housekeeping? Does the facility analyze process control parameters, for ex: MLSS, MCRT, Settleable Solids, pH, DO, Sludge Judge, and other that are applicable? The facility is a vacation home and has not been occupied in over a year, other than the housekeepers. Hugh Shannon and Richard Ledford (Mountain Soils, Inc.) stated they had a sludge judge to measure solids levels, but haven't been to the facility in over a year, so the levels have not been checked. Comment: Septic Tank Yes No NA NE (If pumps are used) Is an audible and visual alarm operational? Is septic tank pumped on a schedule? Are pumps or syphons operating properly? Are high and low water alarms operating properly? Mr. Shannon and Mr. Ledford stated the septic system had been pumped, but could not remember when. They are going to provide me with a pumping record when they find it. Comment: Equalization Basins Yes No NA NE Is the basin aerated? Is the basin free of bypass lines or structures to the natural environment? Is the basin free of excessive grease? Are all pumps present? Are all pumps operable? Are float controls operable? Are audible and visual alarms operable? # Is basin size/volume adequate? Page#3 DocuSign Envelope ID: 9B1B674C-75DD-4952-A4D4-91CF489F580E Permit:NCG551558 Inspection Date:06/24/2021 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: 408 Mystic River Valley Compliance Evaluation Equalization Basins Yes No NA NE At the time of the inspection, the lid to the EQ basin was bolted down and I was not able to look inside. Comment: Disinfection - UV Yes No NA NE Are extra UV bulbs available on site? Are UV bulbs clean? Is UV intensity adequate? Is transmittance at or above designed level? Is there a backup system on site? Is effluent clear and free of solids? The UV system was not evaluated during the inspection. The UV Disinfection system is used as a backup to the Reverse Osmosis disinfection system. Comment: Effluent Pipe Yes No NA NE Is right of way to the outfall properly maintained? Are the receiving water free of foam other than trace amounts and other debris? If effluent (diffuser pipes are required) are they operating properly? The effluent pipe was located and was discharging at the time of the inspection. Make sure to keep the pipe clear of soil. Comment: Effluent Sampling Yes No NA NE Is composite sampling flow proportional? Is sample collected below all treatment units? Is proper volume collected? Is the tubing clean? # Is proper temperature set for sample storage (kept at less than or equal to 6.0 degrees Celsius)? Is the facility sampling performed as required by the permit (frequency, sampling type representative)? Effluent sampling has not been conducted, but a discharge was observed during the inspection. Now that the facility is under General Permit 550000, annual sampling is required. Comment: Page#4 DocuSign Envelope ID: 9B1B674C-75DD-4952-A4D4-91CF489F580E