NC0020427_Correspondence_19930629

NPDES DOCUMENT SCANNING COVER SHEET
NPDES Permit:
NC0020427
Rockingham WWTP
Document Type:
Permit Issuance
Wasteload Allocation
Authorization to Construct (AtC)
Permit Modification
Complete File - Historical
Engineering Alternatives (EAA)
Correspondence .
Owner Name Change
Approval
Instream Assessment (67b)
Speculative Limits
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Document Date:
June 29, 1993
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State of North Carolina
Department of Environment,
Health and Natural Resources
Division of Environmental Management
James B. Hunt, Jr., Governor
Jonathan B. Howes, Secretary
A. Preston Howard, Jr., P.E., Director
June 29, 1993
Mr. Preston N. Watson, P.E.
Hayes, Seay, Mattem & Mattem, Inc.
181 Evans Street, Suite 21
Florence, South Carolina 29501
Subject :
City of Rockingham WWTP
NPDES Permit No. NC0020427
Pee Dee River Discharge
Dear Mr. Watson,
4C7;A
�EHNR
I am responding to your letter sent May 19, 1993, concerning a request to allow the City of
Rockingham to have a partial discharge into Hitchcock Creek in conjunction with a
discharge to the Pee Dee River. This request has been considered and DEM does not
recommend that the City of Rockingham discharge to Hitchcock Creek under the current
conditions.
An intensive analysis was completed for Hitchcock Creek in March, 1992. The analysis
was needed since the City of Rockingham requested an expansion of its treatment plant and
discharge to Hitchcock Creek. Hitchcock Creek was already showing problems with low
dissolved oxygen values above the dam at Steel Mill Pond and below the dam near the
mouth of the Creek. The completion of this analysis resulted in the following acceptable
recommendations for the City of Rockingham:
1. City of Rockingham may remain in Hitchcock Creek with state-of-the-art
treatment and the Dam at Steele Mill Pond is removed.
2. Relocate Rockingham discharge below the dam at Steel Mill Pond and state-of-
the-art treatment is required.
3. Relocate the City of Rockingham discharge to the Pee Dee River and limits of
15 mg/1 BOD5 and 4 mg/1 NH3N are required.
If the Rockingham WWTP remains in Hitchcock Creek at the existing location at any
wasteflow, it will require consistent advanced levels of treatment as well as purchasing and
elimination of the darn.
Please contact Carla Sanderson or myself if you have any questions or comments about this
matter.
ererely, cc ��,_
2l C. \. Ut_
Ruth C. Swanek, Supervisor
Instream Assessment Unit
cc: Tommy Stevens
Greg Nizich
P.O. Box 29535, Raleigh, North Carolina 27626-0535 Telephone [phone] FAX [phone]
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181 E. Evans Street
Suite 21
Florence, South Carolina 29501
[phone]
FAX [phone]
Florence, SC
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Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, Inc.
ARCHITECTS • ENGINEERS • PLANNERS
May 19, 1993
.4
Ms. Ruth Swanek
Technical Support Branch
North Carolina Dept. of Environment
Health & Natural Resources
512 N. Falisburg Street
Raleigh, NC 27611
Re: Rockingham, NC
Pee Dee River Discharge &
Hitchcock Creek Discharge
COMM. #7007B
Dear Ms. Swanek:
f, r'D
NAY 2 7 1993
I have had several conversations with Mr. Greg Nizich and Ms. Carla Sanderson concerning
the current and future discharge needs of the City of Rockingham Wastewater Treatment Facility.
The current NPDES permit allows for the City to discharge 6.0 MGD at summer limits of 24 and
15 into Hitchcock Creek. This discharge is a gravity outfall of only several hundred feet. Due to
a request from the City of Rockingham to increase their discharge to 9.0 MGD, a study was
conducted by forces of the DEM and concluded that the best scenario for the City of Rockingham
in upgrading to 9.0 MGD would be the relocation of their discharge to the Pee Dee River. Plans
and specifications are nearing completion and an NPDES permit has been applied for which is
currently prepared for public notice. The new permit states that the City may continue to discharge
into Hitchcock Creek at the current limits until such time as the Pee Dee River outfall is completed.
The new BOD and NH3N summer limits for discharge into the Pee Dee River are 15 and 4
respectively at an average flow of 9.0 MGD.
Due to the almost six (6) mile pumping distance to the Pee Dee River, power cost are
estimate to be $100,000 per year at the average daily flow. Therefore, in an attempt to secure some
means of reducing possibly unnecessary power cost, the City of Rockingham request some form of
permitting allowing for partial discharge into Hitchcock Creek in conjunction with discharge to the
Pee Dee River. It is proposed that discharge flows into Hitchcock Creek be developed based on the
new treatment limits of the Pee Dee discharge and in relation to the variant stream flow of
Hitchcock Creek. While we realize that the 7010 flows of Hitchcock Creek would be very limiting
for discharge, times of greater flow in Hitchcock Creek would allow for some respectable discharge
from the plant and consequently power cost savings. The flow into Hitchcock Creek would then be
proportional to actual flow in the Creek.
Our concern is to investigate this issue thoroughly while maintaining the discharge to
Hitchcock Creek, as the reinstatement of a nullified discharge would be considerably more difficult
to pursue. We do not, however, wish to delay the issuance of the current permit ready for public
notice.

Ms. Ruth Swanek
page 2
May 19, 1993
Your aid in determining the maximum discharges allowable into Hitchcock Creek for variant
creek flows as well as any suggestions as how to ensure the continued availability of the Hitchcock
Creek discharge until such time as a final determination on this issue can be made, would be
appreciated.
Sincerely,
HAYES, SEAY, MAITERN & MAITERN, INC.
Preston N. Watson, P.E.
Project Manager
PNW/bms
cc: Greg Nizich-DEM
Carla Sanderson-DEM
Monty R. Crump -City of Rockingham
Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, Inc.
ARCHITECTS • ENGINEERS • PLANNERS