NC0020443_Draft Permit_20220714

ROY COOPER
Governor
ELIZABETH BISER
Secretary
RICHARD E. ROGERS, Jr.
Director
NORTH CAROLINA
fnvrronmerrfii rtaIr�y
July 12, 2022
Rhett White, Town Manager
Town of Columbia
P.O. Box 361
Columbia, N.C. 27925
Subject: Renewal Draft for Review
NPDES Permit NC0020443
Columbia WWTP, WPCS Grade WW-2
604 N. Road Street Extension, Columbia
Tyrrell County
Mr. White:
In response to your request to renew the subject NPDES permit, received June 8, 2022, the
Division of Water Resources (DWR or the Division) hereby transmits this draft for your review
and comment. Please review this document carefully to assure your understanding of the permit
limits and monitoring conditions, and to correct errors, if any.
Concurrent with this notification, the Division will solicit public comment on this draft by
publishing a notice in newspapers having circulation in the general Tyrrell County area, as
required by the NPDES Program. Please provide your written comments, if any, to me via
email [[e-mail]], or write to my attention care of NCDEQ / DWR / NPDES
Program no later than August 15, 2022, approximately 30 days after receiving this letter. Your
written comments are welcome but they are not mandatory.
SUMMARY OF RENEWAL CHANGES
The Division understands from your application to renew that The Town of Columbia
(Columbia) has made no significant alterations to the subject wastewater treatment system
since last renew. We have therefore made only minimal changes to your permit including
updating permit text and site vicinity map.
The NPDES standard conditions (Parts II, III, and IV), are part of this permit but are not included
in this draft document (cover, map, and Part I). The latest version of Parts II, III, and IV are
available at https://bit.ly/2BZ4xxx and can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF file.
D_E QQ
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Water Resources
512 North Salisbury Street 11617 Mail Service Center I Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617 --
919.707.3616

Daniel Davis, Director of Utilities
Renewal - Draft Permit Review
July 2022
Page 2
Following the mandatory 45-day public comment period, the Division will review all pertinent
comments, if any, and take appropriate action prior to issuing an NPDES permit final. If you have
questions, please email the undersigned at [ioe.corporon(a,ncdenr.gov]. Much of NC State
Government may currently function remotely considering emergency response to Covid 19,
therefore correspondence via email is preferred.
Resp - lly,
Joe ' . Corpor n, P.G.
D : • / DWR NPDES
Enclosure: NPDES Permit NC0020443 (renewal DRAFT)
ec: NPDES Program Files / Laserfiche [draft permit and Fact Sheet]
WARO/SWPS, Robert Bullock, Robert Tankard, Supervisor
OCU, Maureen Kinney

Permit NC0020443
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
PERMIT
TO DISCHARGE WASTEWATER UNDER THE
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM
(NPDES)
In compliance with the provisions 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, the
Town of Columbia
is hereby authorized to discha e wastefr) a facilit l ated at the
Colu
604 N. Road St1209), Columbia
to receiving waters dei ted a1, n the Pasquotank River Basin in accordance
with effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set forth in Parts I, II, III and IV
hereof.
This permit shall become effective , 2022.
This permit and authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on December 31, 2027.
Signed this day
, 2022.
Richard E. Rogers, Jr., Director
Division of Water Resources
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Page 1 of 6

Permit NC0020443
SUPPLEMENT TO PERMIT COVER SHEET
All previous NPDES Permits issued to this facility, whether for operation or discharge are hereby
revoked, and as of this issuance, any previously issued permit bearing this number is no longer effective.
Therefore, the exclusive authority to operate and discharge from this facility arises under the permit
conditions, requirements, terms, and provisions described herein.
Town of Columbia
is hereby authorized to:
1. continue to operate an existing 0.600 MGD wastewater treatment plant utilizing;
• influent flow meter
• a mechanical bar screen with manual bar screen bypass
• aerated grit removal system
• two (2) each 375,000-gallon oxidation ditches [w/ return -activated sludge]
• four (4) each 65,000 gallon, 30-ft diameter clarifiers
• one RAS tank [10,000-gal w/ centrifuge return]
• one 200,000-gallon aerated sludge holding t
• one 154,000-gallon aerated sludge o ing ta
• one 52,000-gallon sludge digester
• effluent pump station wit . - s r/dech • . . _ an c emical contact
o two (2) each -: h p s [ch T • • . - - e. d' hragm]
o one 12,000-gal : s wat holdin ank [ i i . 'nfection [NaC1O] chlorine -contact]
o two (2 501 :: o erati . sins
o one 0, 00-ga hl r : nk , . r mixing [CaO3S2]
• outfall pump station with two (2) each 20-hp effluent pumps [vertical turbine]
• effluent flow meter
• a 34-ft instream effluent diffuser assembly
• standby generator
these facilities located at the Columbia WWTP, 604 N. Road Street Extension (NCSR 1209) near
Columbia in Tyrrell County; and
2. discharge from said treatment works via Outfall 001, at a location specified on the attached map,
into the Scuppernong River [Stream Index 30-14-4-(9)], a waterbody currently classified SC
within hydrological unit 03-01-53 [HUC: 03010205] of the Pasquotank River Basin.
Page 2 of 6

Permit NC0020443
PART I
A. (1.) EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
[15A NCAC 02B .0400 et seq., 02B .0500 et seq.] Biological WPCS Grade II WWTP [15A NCAC 08G.0302]
During the period beginning on the effective date of the permit and lasting until expiration, the Permittee
is authorized to discharge 0.600 MGD of treated wastewater from Outfall 001. Such discharges shall be
limited, monitored, and reported 1 by the Permittee as specified below:
EFFLUENT CHARACTERISTIC
[Parameter Codes]
LIMITS
MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
Monthly
Average
Weekly
Average
Daily
Maximum
Measurement
Frequency
Sample
Type
Sample
Location 2
Flow (MGD)
50050
0.600 MGD
Continuous
Recording
I or E
Temperature (°C)
00010
Monitor & Report
Daily
Grab
E
Total Residual Chlorine 3
50060
13 µg/L
3/Week
Grab
E
BOD 5-day, 20°C 4
00310
7.0 mg/L
10.5 mg/L
3/Week
Composite
I, E
Total Suspended Solids 4
00530
30.0 mg/L
45.0 mg/L
3/Week
Composite
I, E
Ammonia Nitrogen
(NH3 as N)
C0610
2.0 mg/L
6.0 mg/L
3/Week
Composite
E
Enterococci 5
61211
35 / 100 mL
276 / 100 mL
3/Week
Grab
E
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
00300
Daily .v- age> 6.0
3 e
Grab
E
pH
00400
> 6.8 and '' dard un. s
3 eek
Grab
E
Total Phosphorus (mg/L)
C0665
Monits ' = so
Quarterly
Composite
E
TKN (mg/L) 6
NO3-N + NO2-N (mg/L) 6
TN (n►g/L) 6
00625
00630
C
onitor :•. ' :port
onitor & ' : s ort
e uitor & ' • *rt
Quarterly
Quarterly
Quarterly
Composite
Composite
Calculated
E
E
E
Mercury 7
COMER
Monitor & Report
Once (1) per
permit cycle
Grab
E
Notes:
1. The Permittee shall submit monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) electronically using DWR's
Electronic Discharge Monitoring Report [eDMR] Program, as detailed herein [see Section A. (2)].
2. I = Influent; E = Effluent
3. Total Residual Chlorine (TRC). The Division shall consider compliant all effluent TRC values reported
below 50 µg/L. However, the Permittee shall continue to record and submit all values reported by North
Carolina -certified test methods (including field certified), even if these values fall below 50 µg/L.
4. The monthly average effluent BOD5 and Total Suspended Solids concentrations shall not exceed 15% of
the respective influent value (i.e., 85% removal required).
5. Enterococci shall be calculated using the geometric mean in accord with procedure detailed in Part II.,
Section A.
6. For a given wastewater sample, TN = TKN + NO3-N + NO2-N, where TN is Total Nitrogen, TKN is Total
Kjeldahl Nitrogen, and NO3-N and NO2-N are Nitrate and Nitrite Nitrogen, respectively.
7. Low-level mercury sampling and analysis protocols are required using EPA Method 1631E. Sample to be
collected within one (1) year of expiration, results to be included with the next Application to Renew.
Page 3 of 6

Permit NC0020443
Conditions: Sample effluent downstream of all treatment, prior to mixing with receiving waters.
Discharge shall contain no floating solids or foam visible in other than trace amounts.
A. (2.) NUTRIENT REOPENER
[G.S. 143-215.3(a)(2) or [G.S. 143-215.66]
The Division may modify, or revoke and reissue this permit to include revised effluent
limitations for nutrients, depending:
➢ on findings of a study by the Division to determine if nutrient control is necessary;
> if local actions do not successfully reduce nutrient loading to the receiving waters;
➢ on the onset of problem conditions in the receiving waters.
A. (3.) ELECTRONIC REPORTING OF DISCHARGE MONITORING REPORTS
[G.S. 143-215.1(b)]
Federal regulations require electronic submittal of all discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) and program
reports. The final NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule was adopted and became effective on December
21, 2015.
NOTE: This special condition supplements o s persed it wing sees�ti s within Part II of this
permit (Standard Conditions for NPDES Perm
• Section B. (11.) Signatory,
• Section D. (2.) Report
• Section D. (6.) Records R
• Section E. (5.)
1. Reporting Requirements [Supersedes Section D. (2.) and Section E. (5.) (a)1
The permittee shall report discharge monitoring data electronically using the NC DWR's Electronic
Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) internet application.
Monitoring results obtained during the previous month(s) shall be summarized for each month and
submitted electronically using eDMR. The eDMR system allows permitted facilities to enter
monitoring data and submit DMRs electronically using the internet. The eDMR system may be
accessed at: https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr.
If a permittee is unable to use the eDMR system due to a demonstrated hardship or due to the facility
being physically located in an area where less than 10 percent of the households have broadband
access, then a temporary waiver from the NPDES electronic reporting requirements may be granted
and discharge monitoring data may be submitted on paper DMR forms (MR 1, 1.1, 2, 3) or
alternative forms approved by the Director. Duplicate signed copies shall be submitted to the
following address:
NC DEQ / Division of Water Resources / Water Quality Permitting Section
ATTENTION: Central Files
1617 Mail Service Center
Page 4 of 6

Permit NC0020443
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617
See "How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below.
Regardless of the submission method, the first DMR is due on the last day of the month following
the issuance of the permit or in the case of a new facility, on the last day of the month following the
commencement of discharge.
Starting on December 21, 2025, the permittee must electronically report the following compliance
monitoring data and reports, when applicable:
• Sewer Overflow/Bypass Event Reports;
• Pretreatment Program Annual Reports; and
• Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 316(b) Annual Reports.
The permittee may seek an electronic reporting waiver from the Division (see "How to Request a
Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below).
2. Electronic Submissions
In accordance with 40 CFR 122.41(1)(9), . ermitte st ' . entify th itial recipient at the time
of each electronic submission. The perm ' ld us- t' - EPA's website resources to identify the
initial recipient for the electroni u . ission
Initial recipient of electronic
(EPA or the state auth s
•
for receiving electr
EPA plans to establish a we
each type of electronic submissi
appropriate electroni
Electronic Reportin kule is'fqu d at. ' • s:
-regula'; • i. cilities means the entity
ES program` that is the designated entity
p''priate electronic reporting tool for
ctions on how to access and use the
s well. Information on EPA's NPDES
deralregister. gov/documents/2015/ 10/22/2015 -
24954/national-pollutant-discharge-elimination-system-npdes-electronic-reporting-rule
Electronic submissions must start by the dates listed in the "Reporting Requirements" section above.
3. How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting
The permittee may seek a temporary electronic reporting waiver from the Division. To obtain an
electronic reporting waiver, a permittee must first submit an electronic reporting waiver request to
the Division. Requests for temporary electronic reporting waivers must be submitted in writing to
the Division for written approval at least sixty (60) days prior to the date the facility would be
required under this permit to begin submitting monitoring data and reports. The duration of a
temporary waiver shall not exceed 5 years and shall thereupon expire. At such time, monitoring data
and reports shall be submitted electronically to the Division unless the permittee re -applies for and is
granted a new temporary electronic reporting waiver by the Division. Approved electronic reporting
waivers are not transferrable. Only permittees with an approved reporting waiver request may
submit monitoring data and reports on paper to the Division for the period that the approved
reporting waiver request is effective.
Page 5 of 6

Permit NC0020443
Information on eDMR and the application for a temporary electronic reporting waiver are found on
the following web page: http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr
4. Signatory Requirements [Supplements Section B. (11.) (b) and Supersedes Section B. (11.) (d)1
All eDMRs submitted to the permit issuing authority shall be signed by a person described in Part II,
Section B. (11.)(a) or by a duly authorized representative of that person as described in Part II,
Section B. (11.)(b). A person, and not a position, must be delegated signatory authority for eDMR
reporting purposes.
For eDMR submissions, the person signing and submitting the DMR must obtain an eDMR user
account and login credentials to access the eDMR system. For more information on North
Carolina's eDMR system, registering for eDMR and obtaining an eDMR user account, please visit
the following web page: http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources edmr
Certification. Any person submitting an elect
the following certification [40 CFR 122.22].
WILL BE ACCEPTED:
the state's MR system shall make
EMENTS OF CERTIFICATION
"I certify, under penalty of law, th s d ument d all ccichments were prepared under my
direction or supervisio an �te "gned to assure that qualified personnel
properly gather and Cltecti or n . Based on my inquiry of the person or
persons who manage the system, or those persons ' 'ectlyy. ponsib : e gathering the information,
the information submitted is, to the best o owle•; elief, tr • ,ccurate, and complete. I
am aware that there are significant penalti ' \ . ubmit alse information, including the
possibility of fines and imprisonm or kno v s latio
5. Records Retention Su s s lements
The permittee shall r tainrecor r .all i har o ing Reports, including eDMR submissions. These
records or copies shall be maintained for a period of at least 3 years from the date of the report. This period
may be extended by request of the Director at any time [40 CFR 122.41].
Page 6 of 6

Outfall 001
(with diffuser)
(flows NW)
Downstream Sampling Point
[marker #10]
35° 55' 23" N / 76° 15' 40" W
Upstream Sampling Point
[US Hwy 64 Bridge]
35° 55' 02" N / 76° 15' 20" W
Scuppernong River
[flows NW]
Approximate
Facility Boundary
Road Street Ext.
NCSR 1209
Town of Columbia
Columbia WWTP
604 N. Road Street Extension (NCSR 1209)
Receiving Stream: Scuppernong River Stream Segment: 30-14-4-(9)
Drainage Basin: Pasquotank River Basin Sub -Basin: 03-01-53
Latitude: 35° 55' 18" Longitude: 76° 15' 27"
Stream Class: SC HUC: 03010205
State Grid/USGS Ouad: D33NE / Columbia West, NC
Facility
Location
Scale 1:24,000
NPDES Permit NC0020443
Tyrrell County