NC0025381_Fact Sheet_20220513

FACT SHEET FOR NPDES PERMIT RENEWAL
NPDES Permit NC0025381
Facility Information
Applicant/Facility Name:
Town of Lake Lure/Town of Lake Lure WWTP
Applicant Address:
P.O. Box 255; Lake Lure, NC 28746
Facility Address:
US Highway 64/74; Lake Lure, NC 28746
Permitted Flow
0.995 MGD
Type of Waste:
100 % domestic
Facility/Permit Status:
Grade II (physical/chemical) / Renewal
County:
Rutherford County
Miscellaneous
Receiving Stream:
Stream Classification:
Broad River Regional Office:
State Grid / USGS Quad:
Asheville (ARO)
Lake Lure
303(d) Listed?
Permit Writer:
Charles H. Weaver
Subbasin:
03-08-01 Date:
May 13, 2022
Drainage Area (mi2): 96
7Q10 (cfs) 6.6
30Q2 (cfs) 33.4
Average Flow (cfs): 169
IWC (%): 19%
•
Latitude 35° 25' 28" N Longitude 81° 10' 45" W
SUMMARY
The Town of Lake Lure WWTP is a Grade II physical/chemical plant with a design flow of 0.995 MGD. The
permit was last reissued on February 10, 2015. The Permittee submitted EPA Form 2A on February 25, 2018 to
request renewal of the permit. The design flow of this plant is below 1.0 MGD, and the discharge consists
entirely of domestic wastewater. Consequently, sections E-G of Form 2A do not apply.
The existing WWTP consists of:
• Mechanical bar screen
• Flash mixer
• Flocculation basin
• Sediment basin
• Clarifier
• Sludge digester
• Sludge pump station
• Chlorination / De -chlorination and
• Continuous flow measurement
RECEIVING STREAM
The facility discharges to the Broad River just downstream of the Lake Lure dam. The Town of Lake Lure is
the only NPDES permitted discharger in the subbasin.
This subbasin includes the headwaters of the Broad River from its source in Buncombe County to the
confluence with Cove Creek in Rutherford County. The segment of the river where the discharge occurs has
been placed on North Carolina's 303(d) list. The stream has been placed on the list due to a downstream site
receiving a "fair" classification resulting from a benthic stream assessment in 2005. There was some
speculation that the lower rating was a function of the assessment being performed later in the season than had
been done previously. A 2010 evaluation at the same site yielded a classification of "good," and found water
quality to be much improved. The WWTP has not been cited as a contributor to any degradation of water
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quality in the Broad River. Excellent water quality conditions have been found within the basin above Lake
Lure. Most of the high gradient tributary streams in this subbasin are classified as Trout waters and are capable
of supporting wild trout populations. Water quality in Lake Lure is also good.
PRETREATMENT
The facility has no permitted discharging Industries and no pretreatment program.
EXISTING PERMIT CONDITIONS
The discharge from the facility currently has limits for flow, BOD, TSS, Ammonia, pH, Fecal Coliform, and
TRC. The facility monitors the effluent and reports for Temperature, Total Iron, Total Nitrogen and Total
Phosphorus. Influent monitoring is required for flow, BOD, and TSS. Upstream and downstream monitoring is
conducted for dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and fecal coliform.
COMPLIANCE SUMMARY
The facility has a decaying collection system which allows massive inflow & infiltration to the WWTP. The I&I
has caused ongoing operational challenges relative to the WWTP being able to consistently comply with
permitted effluent limitations, including:
• Much of the Town's collection system is under the lake; potential impacts of small leaks are
exacerbated and I&I is a constant problem.
• The influent to the WWTP is largely diluted with lake water, especially in winter when the tourist
population is reduced.
• The location of the collection system causes influent flow to be chilled throughout the year, inhibiting
biological activity.
• Between the characteristics of the lake water and the contribution provided by the cast iron pipe of the
collection system, the influent contains high concentrations of iron. With the addition of chlorine
during the treatment process the iron oxidizes and falls out as a solid, leaving the Town with high
volumes of inert solids that can interfere with disinfection, and must be disposed of for reliable
operation.
• As a result of its unique circumstances the Town has operated the WWTP as a physical/chemical plant
since 2008, with mixed results.
CHANGES SINCE LAST PERMIT RENEWAL
The Town has committed to repair and upgrade of both the collection system and the WWTP and has secured
>$12 million in grant funding.
The Division and the Town agreed to impose Special Order by Consent (SOC) S20-004. This SOC requires
replacement of a portion of the collection system. It is the first step toward the goal of replacing the existing
WWTP with an entirely new treatment system.
PROPOSED PERMIT CHANGES:
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• No limit or monitoring changes are proposed at this time. The eventual replacement of this WWTP may
occur in the next permit cycle, and there are no technical reasons to change any existing limits or monitoring
frequencies.
• The previous lower flow phase of 0.495 MGD has been moved to a potential future date, if reduction of I&I
via the prescribed actions in the SOC results in lower flow from the WWTP.
PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR PERMIT ISSUANCE
Draft Permit to Public Notice:
Permit Scheduled to Issue:
May 17, 2022
July, 2022
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