NC0020940_NR NOV-2021-TX-0039_20210820

August 20, 2021

CERTIFIED MAIL: 7019 0140 0000 2844 3173
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Chad B Simons, Town Manager
Town of Murphy
PO Box 130
Murphy, NC 28906-0130
SUBJECT: NOTICE OF VIOLATION: NR NOV-2021-TX-0039
Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Testing
NPDES Permit No. NC0020940/001
Murphy WWTP
Cherokee County

Dear Mr. Simons:

This is to inform you that the Aquatic Toxicology Branch, ATB, did not receive your toxicity self-monitoring
report form for the month of June 2021. This is in violation of Title 15A of the North Carolina Administrative
Code, Chapter 2, Subchapter 2B, Section .0506 (a)(1)(A) which states that “monthly monitoring reports shall
be filed no later than 30 days after the end of the reporting period for which the report was made.” Please
remember that reporting of toxicity self-monitoring data is a dual requirement and per your permit, “All
toxicity testing results required as part of this permit condition will be entered electronically using the Division's
eDMR system”, as well as “Completed Aquatic Toxicity Forms shall be filed with the Water Sciences Section…”.
Please be aware that North Carolina General Statutes provide for assessment of civil penalties for
violations of NPDES permit limitations and requirements.

ATB has had to request ATForms for multiple previous bioassay quarters, including 7/2020-9/2020, and 3/2021.
Therefore, ATB has issued the above NOV to request that either your June 2021 results or a “NO FLOW”
ATForm be submitted, or that you perform a make-up test, before returning to normal quarterly testing.

The reverse side of this Notice also contains important information concerning your Whole Effluent Toxicity
Monitoring and Reporting Requirements. We encourage you to review this information; if it would be helpful
to discuss this situation or possible solutions to resolve effluent toxicity noncompliance, please contact
Mr. Zach Thomas at (919) 743- 8439 or [e-mail].

Sincerely,

Cindy Moore, Supervisor Aquatic Toxicology Branch
Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ

cc: Tyler White, ORC (via email: [e-mail])
Landon Davidson, ARO (via email: [e-mail])
ATB Enforcement File & Laserfiche ______________










WHOLE EFFLUENT TOXICITY MONITORING AND REPORTING INFORMATION

The following items are provided in an effort to assist you with identifying critical and sometimes overlooked toxicity testing and
reporting information. Please take time to review this information. The items below do not address or include all the toxicity
testing and reporting requirements contained in your NPDES permit. If you should have any questions about your toxicity
testing requirement, please contact Zach Thomas with the Aquatic Toxicology Branch at [phone] or Cindy Moore at (919)
743-8442.

¾ DATA SUBMITTAL: The permittee is responsible for ensuring that toxicity testing is conducted according to the permit
requirement and that toxicity report forms are appropriately filed.

x The reporting of whole effluent toxicity testing data is a dual requirement.
x 1) All toxicity test results must be entered (with the appropriate parameter code) on your monthly Electronic Discharge
Monitoring Report (eDMR) and,

x 2) Your Toxicity test data (“AT” form) must be submitted to the Aquatic Toxicity Branch via:

Email to: [e-mail]
Or
North Carolina Division of Water Resources
Water Sciences Section/Aquatic Toxicity Branch
1621 l Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1621

x Toxicity test results shall be filed with the Water Sciences Section no later than 30 days after the end of the reporting
period (eg, January test result is due by the end of February).
x To determine if your AT test forms were received on time by the Division of Water Resources, you may consider submitting
your toxicity test results certified mail, return receipt requested to the Water Sciences Section or email to the above address,
receiving e-confirmation.
x The Aquatic Toxicity Test forms shall be signed by the facility’s Operator in Responsible Charge (ORC) except for facilities
which have not received a facility classification. In these cases, a duly authorized facility representative must sign the AT form.
The AT form must also be signed by the performing lab supervisor.

¾ FAILED TESTS:

x Toxicity test condition language contained in your NPDES permit may require use of multiple concentration toxicity testing
upon failure of any single quarterly toxicity test. If the initial pass/fail test fails or if the chronic value is lower than the permit
limit, then at least two multiple concentration toxicity tests (one per month) will be conducted over the following two months.
As many analyses as can be completed will be accepted. If your NPDES permit does not require use of multiple concentration
toxicity testing upon failure of any single quarterly test, you may choose to conduct either single concentration toxicity testing
or multiple concentration toxicity testing per the Division’s WET enforcement initiatives effective July 1, 1999. Follow-up
multiple concentration toxicity testing will influence the Division’s enforcement response.

¾ INVALID TESTS:

x If you receive notification from your contract laboratory that a test was invalidated, you should immediately notify the Water
Sciences Section at [phone] and provide written documentation indicating why the test was invalidated and the date
when follow-up testing will occur.

¾ TESTING MONTHS:

x Toxicity testing months are specified by the NPDES Permit, except for NPDES Permits which contain episodic toxicity
monitoring requirements (eg, if the testing months specified in your NPDES permit are March, June, September, and
December, then toxicity testing must be conducted during these months).

¾ EPISODIC MONTIORING:

x If your NPDES Permit specifies episodic monitoring and your facility does not have a discharge from January 1-June 30, then
you must provide written notification to the Water Sciences Section by June 30 that a discharge did not occur during the first
six months of the calendar year.

¾ NO DISCHARGE:

x If your facility is required to conduct toxicity testing during a month in which no discharge occurs, you should complete the
information block located at the top of the AT form indicating the facility name, permit number, pipe number, county and the
month/year of the subject report. You should also write “No Flow” on the AT form, sign the form and submit following normal
procedures.