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Home My WebLink AboutNC0087084_CEI_20220103 SENT VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY: NO HARD COPY WILL BE MAILED January 3, 2022 Janet Mason Email: janetmason@townofforestcity.com Town of Forest City SUBJECT: Compliance Inspection Report Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP NPDES WW Permit No. NC0087084 Rutherford County Dear Permittee: The North Carolina Division of Water Resources conducted an inspection of the Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP on 12/07/2021. This inspection was conducted to verify that the facility is operating in compliance with the conditions and limitations specified in NPDES WW Permit No. NC0087084. The findings and comments noted during this inspection are provided in the enclosed copy of the inspection report entitled "Compliance Inspection Report". There were no significant issues or findings noted during the inspection and therefore, a response to this inspection report is not required. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 828-296-4686 or via email at mikal.willmer@ncdenr.gov. Sincerely, Mikal Willmer, Environmental Specialist II Water Quality Regional Operations Section Asheville Regional Office Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ ATTACHMENTS: Inspection Report Ec: LF Jacob Hodge, ORC Sonny Penson, Superintendent DocuSign Envelope ID: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE 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 NC0087084 21/12/07 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) Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP 219 Broad River Blvd Forest City NC 28043 Entry Time/Date Permit Effective Date Exit Time/Date Permit Expiration Date 01:00PM 21/12/07 18/08/01 Name(s) of Onsite Representative(s)/Titles(s)/Phone and Fax Number(s) /// Jacob William Hodge/ORC/828-248-5217/ Thomas Paul Wilson/ORC/828-248-5217/ Other Facility Data 02:30PM 21/12/07 23/07/31 Name, Address of Responsible Official/Title/Phone and Fax Number Charles R Summey,PO Box 728 Forest City NC 280430728//828-245-4747/8282485216 Contacted No Section C: Areas Evaluated During Inspection (Check only those areas evaluated) Permit Flow Measurement Operations & Maintenance Records/Reports Self-Monitoring Program Sludge Handling Disposal Facility Site Review 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/ Stephanie A Williams DWR/ARO WQ/828-296-4500/ Mikal Willmer DWR/Division of Water Quality/828-296-4686/ 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: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE 1/3/2022 1/3/2022 1/3/2022 1/3/2022 NPDES yr/mo/day 21/12/07 Inspection Type C3111218 1 Section D: Summary of Finding/Comments (Attach additional sheets of narrative and checklists as necessary) Mikal Willmer, Stephanie Williams, and Lauren Armeni, with the Asheville Regional Office, conducted a compliance evaluation inspection of the Riverstone WWTP on December 7, 2021. This inspection was conducted to determine whether the facility is being operated and maintained in compliance with NPDES permit No. NC0087084. Jacob Hodge and Tommy Wilson (Town of Forest City) were present and assisted in the inspection. Riverstone experiences numerous lightning strikes which often damage equipment. This so far has not affected staff’s ability to manage and operate the facility. Forest City has discussed potential options with Duke regarding their transmission line. At the time of the inspection, the flow recorder for the facility was broken due to lightning. Flows were being pulled from the meter’s totalizer until the replacement arrived. Calibration: Meters had been calibrated for 2021. Calibration records are stored and were reviewed at the main WWTP. Headworks: The ORC indicated the mechanical screen runs but may need repair. The manual screen is in use and only needs to be raked once a week. Screenings are deposited in a trash can by the headworks until landfilled. SBR: The SBR still has a broken mixer and wasting occurs via a hose to the digester. The SBR will need to be emptied to complete the repairs. Staff wasted a significant amount recently and are having to rebuild solids. The facility only batch discharges once a day. Settling is approximately 16 -18 hrs. Staff adjust settings as needed on the PLC and manually decant from the SBR. Digester: Solids were hauled from the facility in August by AEO and disposed of in an approved landfill due to the metals content. Zinc content was approaching the 503 Class B ceiling concentration limit and cadmium exceeded the limit. Typically, solids are hauled and commingled with residuals at Forest City’s main WWTP. This has been an ongoing concern for the Town; however, corrective actions are currently underway regarding the suspected source. Standby Power: Generator tests every Thursday and is exercised regularly during power outages. Generac services the generator twice a year. Facility staff periodically check fuel in the generator. Fuel is maintained by the Town. The Town has scheduled to replace the radiator in the generator this coming year. Contact Chamber: No reported issues with solids build up. The contact chambers and sampler are under roof. Only one contact chamber is currently in use. Sampler: Staff periodically verify sample volume using a graduated cylinder. Tubing is changed immediately before toxicity sampling each quarter. Sampling is time-paced flow-proportional. The sampler was at temperature at the time of the inspection. Sampling: pH, temperature and chlorine are measured onsite, recorded on bench sheets, and kept on file at the main WWTP. Convectional parameters are analyzed at the main WWTP laboratory. Any additional parameters are sent to ETS for analysis. Outfall: The outfall is approximately 400 feet downhill from the WWTP and is accessed via a road along the Broad River. Effluent discharges onto riprap before entering the river. Zinc Reopener: The facility’s permit may be reopened if it’s determined pass-through zinc levels have a reasonable potential to exceed water quality standards. Riverstone maintains a relatively high effluent hardness (>250 mg/L), which aids in precipitating dissolved metals, reducing the availability to aquatic organisms. NC0087084 17 (Cont.) Page#2 DocuSign Envelope ID: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE Permit:NC0087084 Inspection Date:12/07/2021 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP Compliance Evaluation Toxicity: Historically, Riverstone had issues passing quarterly toxicity samples which was attributed to pass-through metals from industry. A special toxicology study showed correlation between effluent zinc levels more than 1 mg/L and toxicity failure. Page#3 DocuSign Envelope ID: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE Permit:NC0087084 Inspection Date:12/07/2021 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP Compliance Evaluation 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? Comment: 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? Standard special conditions for municipal facilities and a zinc reopener. See summary for details. Comment: Record Keeping Yes No NA NE Are records kept and maintained as required by the permit? Is all required information readily available, complete and current? Are all records maintained for 3 years (lab. reg. required 5 years)? Are analytical results consistent with data reported on DMRs? Is the chain-of-custody complete? Dates, times and location of sampling Name of individual performing the sampling Results of analysis and calibration Dates of analysis Name of person performing analyses Transported COCs Are DMRs complete: do they include all permit parameters? Has the facility submitted its annual compliance report to users and DWQ? (If the facility is = or > 5 MGD permitted flow) Do they operate 24/7 with a certified operator on each shift? Is the ORC visitation log available and current? Is the ORC certified at grade equal to or higher than the facility classification? Is the backup operator certified at one grade less or greater than the facility classification? Page#4 DocuSign Envelope ID: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE Permit:NC0087084 Inspection Date:12/07/2021 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP Compliance Evaluation Record Keeping Yes No NA NE Is a copy of the current NPDES permit available on site? Facility has copy of previous year's Annual Report on file for review? Comment: Flow Measurement - Effluent Yes No NA NE # Is flow meter used for reporting? Is flow meter calibrated annually? Is the flow meter operational? (If units are separated) Does the chart recorder match the flow meter? See summary for details.Comment: Bar Screens Yes No NA NE Type of bar screen a.Manual b.Mechanical Are the bars adequately screening debris? Is the screen free of excessive debris? Is disposal of screening in compliance? Is the unit in good condition? See summary for details.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? Facility has a pre- and post-EQ basin.Comment: Page#5 DocuSign Envelope ID: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE Permit:NC0087084 Inspection Date:12/07/2021 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP Compliance Evaluation Aerobic Digester Yes No NA NE Is the capacity adequate? Is the mixing adequate? Is the site free of excessive foaming in the tank? # Is the odor acceptable? # Is tankage available for properly waste sludge? Flows are below permitted capacity.Comment: Sequencing Batch Reactors Yes No NA NE Type of operation:Simplex, Single Is the reactor effluent free of solids? Does minimum fill time correspond to the peak hour flow rate of the facility? Is aeration and mixing cycled on and off during fill? The operator understands and can explain the process? See summary for details.Comment: Disinfection-Tablet Yes No NA NE Are tablet chlorinators operational? Are the tablets the proper size and type? Number of tubes in use?2 Is the level of chlorine residual acceptable? Is the contact chamber free of growth, or sludge buildup? Is there chlorine residual prior to de-chlorination? Comment: De-chlorination Yes No NA NE Type of system ?Tablet Is the feed ratio proportional to chlorine amount (1 to 1)? Is storage appropriate for cylinders? # Is de-chlorination substance stored away from chlorine containers? Comment: Are the tablets the proper size and type? Are tablet de-chlorinators operational? Number of tubes in use?2 Page#6 DocuSign Envelope ID: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE Permit:NC0087084 Inspection Date:12/07/2021 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP Compliance Evaluation De-chlorination Yes No NA NE See summaryComment: Standby Power Yes No NA NE Is automatically activated standby power available? Is the generator tested by interrupting primary power source? Is the generator tested under load? Was generator tested & operational during the inspection? Do the generator(s) have adequate capacity to operate the entire wastewater site? Is there an emergency agreement with a fuel vendor for extended run on back-up power? Is the generator fuel level monitored? Town maintains fuel. See summary for details.Comment: Influent Sampling Yes No NA NE # Is composite sampling flow proportional? Is sample collected above side streams? 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 sampling performed according to the permit? 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? See summary for details.Comment: Effluent Sampling Yes No NA NE Is composite sampling flow proportional? Is sample collected below all treatment units? Is proper volume collected? Page#7 DocuSign Envelope ID: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE Permit:NC0087084 Inspection Date:12/07/2021 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Riverstone Industrial Park WWTP Compliance Evaluation Effluent Sampling Yes No NA NE 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)? See summary.Comment: Upstream / Downstream Sampling Yes No NA NE Is the facility sampling performed as required by the permit (frequency, sampling type, and sampling location)? Only upstream hardness sampling is conducted.Comment: Page#8 DocuSign Envelope ID: 73E4153C-E2DF-4A77-BDA8-C17AF11B7AEE