NC0084620_Permit (Issuance)_19970331

NPDES DOCUMENT SCANNING COVER SHEET
NC0084620
Unimin Crystal Operation
NPDES Permit:
Document Type: /Permit
Issuance`,
Wasteload Allocation
Authorization to Construct (AtC)
Permit Modification
Complete File - Historical
Engineering Alternatives (EAA)
Correspondence
Owner Name Change
Instream Assessment (67b)
Speculative Limits
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Document Date:
March 31, 1997
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State of North Carolina
Department of Environment,
Health and Natural Resources
Division of Water Quality
James B. Hunt, Jr., Governor
Jonathan B. Howes, Secretary
A. Preston Howard, Jr., P:E., Director
Mr. Rov Riddle
Unimin Corporation - Crystal Operation
P.O. Box 588
Spruce Pine, North Carolina 28777
Dear Mr. Riddle:
March 31,1997
Subject: NPDES Permit Issuance
Permit No. NC0084620
Unimin Crystal Operation
Mitchell County
In accordance with the application for a discharge permit received on July 18, 1996, the Division is
forwarding herewith the subject NPDES permit. This permit is issued pursuant to the requirements of North
Carolina General Statute 143-215.1 and the Memorandum of Agreement between North Carolina and the US
Environmental Protection Agency dated December 6,1983.
If any parts, measurement frequencies or sampling requirements contained in this permit are unacceptable
to you, you have the right to an adjudicatory hearing upon written request within thirty (30) days following
receipt of this letter. This request must be in the form of a written petition, conforming to Chapter 150B of the
North Carolina General Statutes, and filed with the Office of Administrative Hearings, Post Office Drawer
27447, Raleigh, North Carolina 27611-7447. Unless such demand is made, this decision shall be final and
binding.
Please take notice this permit is not transferable. Part II, E.4. addresses the requirements to be followed
in case of change in ownership or control of this discharge.
This permit does not affect the legal requirements to obtain other permits which may be required by the
Division of Water Quality or permits required by the Division of Land Resources, Coastal Area Management
Act or any other Federal or Local governmental permit that may be required.
If you have any questions concerning this permit, please contact Dave Goodrich at telephone number (919)
733-5083, extension 517.
Sincerely,
Original Signed By
David A. Goodrich
A. Preston Howard, Jr., P.E.
cc Central Files
Asheville Regional Office
Mr. Roosevelt Childress, EPA
Permits and Engineering Unit
Facility Assessment Unit E Vir.D
Aquatic Survey & Toxicology AEC
JUN 998
CENTRAL FILES
P.O. Box 29535, Raleigh, North Carolina 27626-0535 Telephone [phone] FAX [phone]
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Permit No. NC0084620
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DIVISION OF WATER QUALITY
PERMIT
TO DISCHARGE WASTEWATER UNDER THE
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM
In compliance with the provision of North Carolina General Statute 143-215.1, other lawful standards and
regulations promulgated and adopted by the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, and the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended,
Unimin Corporation
is hereby authorized to discharge wastewater from a facility located at the
Crystal Operation
at NCSR 1117, east of NC Highway 226
southeast Spruce Pine
Mitchell County
to receiving waters designated as the North Toe River in the French Broad River Basin
in accordance with effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set forth in Parts I, II, III,
and IV hereof.
The permit shall become effective May 1,1997.
This permit and the authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on December 31, 2001.
Signed this day March 31, 1997.
.4 199b
CEWL ALES
Original Signaci by
David A. Goodrich
A. Preston Howard, Jr., P.E., Director
Division of Water Quality
By Authority of the Environmental Mangement Commission

Permit No. NC0084620
SUPPLEMENT TO PERMIT COVER SHEET
Unimin Corporation/ Crystal Operation
is hereby authorized to:
1. Continue to operate a wastewater treatment plant for process wastewater from mineral
extraction consisting of mix/reactor tanks, lime and polymer feed systems, thickener, drum
filter, pH adjustment, and flow measurement located at NCSR 1117 east of NC 226,
southeast of Spruce Pine, Mitchell County (See Part III of this Permit), and
2. Discharge from said treatment works at the location specified on the attached map into the
North Toe River which is classified a Class C Trout waters in the French Broad River Basin.
G Crce�Z ,
r

ROAD CLASSIFICATION
PRIMARY HIGHWAY
HARD SURFACE
SECONDARY HIGHWAY
HARD SURFACE 1=:::=I1
LIGHT -DUTY ROAD, HARD OR
IMPROVED SURFACE
UNIMPROVED ROAD
= = =
Latitude 35°54'16"
Map # D1ONE
Stream Class
Longitude 82°03'46"
Sub -basin 04-03-06
Discharge Class
Receiving Stream
41
North Toe River
Design 0 0.36 MGD Permit expires 12/31/01
c
SCALE 1:24 000
0
0
1 MILE
INEEftitizi
7000 FEET
:1 •
0
1 KILOMETER
Pakg
t 81k TOUR INTERVAL 40 FEET
E s5 - b tl.At r N
Unimin Corporation
N C0084620
Mitchell County
Crystal Operation

A. EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS FINAL
Permit No. NC0084620
During the period beginning on the effective date of the permit and lasting until expiration, the Permittee is authorized to discharge from outfall(s) serial number
001. Such discharges shall be limited and monitored by the Permittee as specified below:
EFFLUENT CHARACTERISTICS ;
:: :.:; LIMITS •
MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
-
MonthlyWeeklyDaily
Average
Average
Maximum
Measurement
Frequency
Sample
Type
Sample
p
Location'
Flow
0.36 MGD
Continuous
Recording
I or E
Total Suspended Residue
86.6 lbs/day
•
173.2 lbs/day
Weekly
Composite
E
Total Fluoride
50.0 lbs/day
100.0 lbs/day
Weekly
Composite
E, U, D
Settleable Solids
Daily
Grab
E
Turbidity 2
Weekly
Grab
E, U, D
pH3
Daily
Grab
E, U, D
Chloride 4
Quarterly
Composite
E
Chronic Toxicity5
Quarterly
Composite
E
Notes:
Sample locations: E - Effluent, I - Influent, U - Upstream at Altapass Road, D - Downstream at the foot bridge in the Town of Spruce Pine. Instream samples
shall be grab samples and shall be conducted weekly.
2 The discharge shall not cause the turbidity of the receiving water to exceed 10 NTU. If the turbidity exceeds these levels due to natural background
conditions, the discharge level cannot cuase any increase in the turbidity of the receiving water.
3 The pH shall not be less than 6.0 standard units nor greater than 10.0 standard units. lnstream sampling for pH shall be conducted weekly.
4 Chloride shall be monitored quarterly during the same months as toxicity testing.
Chronic Toxicity (Ceriodaphnia) P/F at 1.3 %; January, April, July, and October; See Part III Condition E.
There shall be no discharge of floating solids or visible foam in other than trace amounts.

Part III NPDES No. NC0084620
E. CHRONIC TOXICITY PASS/FAIL PERMIT LIMIT (QRTRLY)
The permittee is required to perform the toxicity test as specified below.
The effluent discharge shall at no time exhibit chronic toxicity using test procedures
outlined in the "North Carolina Ceriodaphnia Chronic Effluent Bioassay Procedure,"
Revised November 1995, or subsequent versions.
The effluent concentration at which there may be no observable inhibition of reproduction
or significant mortality is 1_3 % (defined as treatment two in the procedure document). The
permit holder shall perform quarterly monitoring using this procedure to establish
compliance with the permit condition. The tests will be performed during the months of
January, April, July, and October. Effluent sampling for this testing shall be performed at
the NPDES permitted fmal effluent discharge below all treatment processes.
All toxicity testing results required as part of this permit condition will be entered on the
Effluent Discharge Monitoring Form (MR-1) for the month in which it was performed,
using the parameter code TGP3B. Additionally, DWQ Form AT-1 (original) is to be sent to
the following address:
Attention: Environmental Sciences Branch
North Carolina Division of
Water Quality
4401 Reedy Creek Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
Test data shall be complete and accurate and include all supporting chemical/physical
measurements performed in association with the toxicity tests, as well as all dose/response
data. Total residual chlorine of the effluent toxicity sample must be measured and reported
if chlorine is employed for disinfection of the waste stream.
Should there be no discharge of flow from the facility during a month in which toxicity
monitoring is required, the permittee will complete the information located at the top of the
aquatic toxicity (AT) test form indicating the facility name, permit number, pipe number,
county, and the month/year of the report with the notation of "No Flow" in the comment
area of the form. The report shall be submitted to the Environmental Sciences Branch at the
address cited above.
Should any single quarterly monitoring indicate a failure to meet specified limits, then
monthly monitoring will begin immediately until such time that a single test is passed.
Upon passing, this monthly test requirement will revert to quarterly in the months specified
above.
Should the permittee fail to monitor during a month in which toxicity monitoring is
required, then monthly monitoring will begin immediately until such time that a single test
is passed. Upon passing, this monthly test requirement will revert to quarterly in the
months specified above.
Should any test data from this mo = :requirement or tests performed by the North
Carolina Division of Water Qualit t to potential impacts to the receiving stream, this
permit may be re -opened and modifiecl,p i2clultmitemate monitoring requirements or
limits. �U1
CENTRAL FILES

Part III NPDES No. NC0084620
NOTE: Failure to achieve test conditions as specified in the cited document, such as
minimum control organism survival, minimum control organism reproduction, and
appropriate environmental controls, shall constitute an invalid test and will require
immediate follow-up testing to be completed no later than the last day of the month
following the month of the initial monitoring.
F. BIOCIDE CONDITION
The permittee shall not use any biocides except those approved in conjunction with the
permit application. The permittee shall notify the Director in writing not later than ninety
(90) days prior to instituting use of any additional biocide used in cooling systems which
may be toxic to aquatic life other than those previously reported to the Division of Water
Quality. Such notification shall include completion of Biocide Worksheet Form 101 and a
map locating the discharge point and receiving stream.
G. In the event that violations of the turbidity standard of the North Carolina Water Quality
Standards occur as a result of this discharge, this permit shall be modified, or alternately,
revoked and reissued to incorporate limitations sufficient to protect the receiving waters.
-11. Solids removed or resulting from the wastewater treatment process shall be contained
and disposed of in such a manner as to prevent any contamination of the surface waters of
the State.
This permit shall be modified, or revoked and reissued to incorporate new fluoride
effluent limitations in the event that acute or chronic bioassay testing or other studies results
in a change in the North Carolina Water Quality Standard for fluoride.
�J. This permit shall be modified, or revoked and reissued to incorporate new limitations in
the event that production changes are requested by any of the existing fluoride using
industries or should any new fluoride using discharge request to locate on the North Toe
River.
K. RELIABILITY REQUIREMENTS
The following measures will be taken in lieu of providing an additional thickener: Unimin
Corporation Crystal Operation will notify the Asheville Regional Office, Telephone (704)
251-6208, prior to taking any wastewater treatment unit out of service, if such action could
result in non -retention of inadequately treated effluent or an out of compliance discharge.
Whenever any unit is removed from service, whether for maintenance or due to failure of
the unit, the Company shall immediately institute daily monitoring for Total Suspended
Solids and Fluorides (in addition to the parameters normally monitored on a daily basis).
The Company will cease all wastewater related manufacturing operations until such time as
the wastewater treatment unit is operational, whenever the wastewater treatment system can
no longer adequately treat or store the wastewater, so as to prevent an out of compliance
discharge.
Additionally, Unimin Corporation must provide and install an additional 117 GPM effluent
pump prior to initiating discharge to the North Toe River.