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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNC0068705_Remission Request (LM-2022-0031)_20220621 June 16, 2022 RECEIVED Wastewater Branch JUN 21 2022 Division of Water Resources 1617 Mail Service Center NCDEQ/pw�NppES Raleigh, NC 27699-1617 Subject: Remission of Case No. LV-2022-0131 December 2021 in the amount of$1089.04 Dear Director of the Division of Water Resources, This letter is in response to a notice of violation and assessment of civil penalty in regard to the Mariners Watch Homeowners Association wastewater treatment plant.The Homeowners Association is requesting remission of the civil assessment on the basis that the payment of the civil penalty will prevent payment for the remaining necessary remedial actions.Also,we have not been assessed civil penalties for any previous violations prior to the April 8, 2022, letter which included violations for September 2021, October 2021, and November 2021.The violations for October 2021 and November 2021 were retracted then reinstated on letters dated May 11, 2022. With regards to the basis that the payment of the civil penalty will prevent payment for the remaining necessary remedial actions, our costs dramatically increased for operation of the wastewater treatment plant in September 2021. Our previous operator abandoned our plant without proper written notification. We searched for a new operator and retained our current operator at the cost of 2.5 times the amount we paid our previous operator. We have also instigated construction of city sewer with the city of Charlotte.The city has brought sewer to a nearby community, and one of our members has applied for and began the process of having sewer brought to their house. Once the city reaches a certain point in construction, every member of our Homeowners Association will join the sewer line and pay the high cost to do so.This does not include the additional cost that each household will incur to connect the septic pumps and pipes on our property to the city sewer line. We are doing our best to be compliant while facing exorbitant price increases and high cost of connection to the city of Charlotte sewer lines. We have had several meaningful conversations with our plant operator in regard to getting our wastewater treatment plant into compliance. Our previous operator had zero months of non- compliance resulting in zero fines. Our current operator has had challenges in getting our plant compliant even with only four out of five households in our community living here full-time. Our current operator has reached out to the manufacturer of our plants operating panel for assistance and has made what they believe to be the correct adjustments to get our plant into compliance. This includes changing our pump settings in our tanks. We have a long history of state compliance with our operating plant. We request remission of this assessment and would appreciate assistance in the form of a meeting with personnel from the division of water resources. We would like to meet with the personnel from the division of water resources, along with our operator, and members of our five person Homeowners Association. Given the high cost of the plant operation and the high cost of joining the Charlotte sewer system, we request remission of this assessment. Any assistance from your department in pushing along the Charlotte sewer system to our Homeowners Association and community would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Sincerely, Dwayne Reedy President—Mariners Watch Homeowners Association Cc: Wes Bell— NCDEQ(email) Brandon Long—Tri-County Wastewater (email) Reggie DeMatteis—Mariners Watch HOA (email) Matt Creasser— Mariners Watch HOA(email) JUSTIFICATION FOR REMISSION REQUEST Case Number: LM-2022-0031 County: Mecklenburg Assessed Party: Mariners Watch Homeowners Association Permit No.: NC0068705 Amount Assessed: $1.089.04 Please use this form when requesting remission of this civil penalty. You must also complete the "Request For Remission, Waiver of Right to an Administrative Hearing, and Stipulation of Facts"form to request remission of this civil penalty. You should attach any documents that you believe support your request and are necessary for the Director to consider in evaluating your request for remission. Please be aware that a request for remission is limited to consideration of the five factors listed below as they may relate to the reasonableness of the amount of the civil penalty assessed. Requesting remission is not the proper procedure for contesting whether the violation(s)occurred or the accuracy of any of the factual statements contained in the civil penalty assessment document. Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 143B-282.1(c),remission of a civil penalty may be granted only when one or more of the following five factors apply. Please check each factor that you believe applies to your case and provide a detailed explanation,including copies of supporting documents,as to why the factor applies(attach additional pages as needed). (a) one or more of the civil penalty assessment factors in N.C.G.S. 143B-282.1(b)were wrongfully applied to the detriment of the petitioner(the assessment factors are listed in the civil penalty assessment document); (b) the violator promptly abated continuing environmental damage resulting from the violation(i.e., explain the steps that you took to correct the violation and prevent future occurrences); (c) the violation was inadvertent or a result of an accident(i.e., explain why the violation was unavoidable or something you could not prevent or prepare for); (d) the violator had not been assessed civil penalties for any previous violations; (e) payment of the civil penalty will prevent payment for the remaining necessary remedial actions (i.e., explain how payment of the civil penalty will prevent you from performing the activities necessary to achieve compliance). EXPLANATION: STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COUNTY OF MECKLENBURG IN THE MA.F1'ER OF ASSESSMENT ) WAIVER OF RIGHT TO AN OF CIVIL PENALTIES AGAINST ) ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING AND ) STIPULATION OF FACTS Mariners Watch Homeowners Association ) Mariners Watch WWTP ) ) PERMIT NO. NC0068705 ) CASE NO. LM-2022-0031 Having been assessed civil penalties totaling $1,089.04 for violation(s)as set forth in the assessment document of the Division of Water Resources dated June 08,2022,the undersigned,desiring to seek remission of the civil penalty,does hereby waive the right to an administrative hearing in the above-stated matter and does stipulate that the facts are as alleged in the assessment document. The undersigned further understands that all evidence presented in support of remission of this civil penalty must be submitted to the Director of the Division of Water Resources within thirty(30)days of receipt of the notice of assessment. No new evidence in support of a remission request will be allowed after(30)days from the receipt of the notice of assessment. tiN This the day of YI,Q , 20 Z S ATURE ADDRESS I 63r) Mcnrivi e,v f atC-4 Ct Cx -1 Mt' it) ie RECEIVED JUN 21 2022 NCDEQIDWRINPDES TELEPHONE 7oy -60 -3gn