The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutNCG530095_NOD2022PC0153 & CEI Report_20221003 (2) SENT VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY: NO HARD COPY WILL BE MAILED October 3, 2022 Gerald R Laschober, Owner Cooper Creek Investments LLC Email: glaschober@gmail.com SUBJECT: NOTICE OF DEFICIENCY Tracking Number: NOD-2022-PC-0153 Permit No. NCG530095 Cooper Creek Trout Farm Swain County Dear Permittee: The North Carolina Division of Water Resources conducted an inspection of the Cooper Creek Trout Farm on September 26, 2022. This inspection was conducted to verify that the facility is operating in compliance with the conditions and limitations specified in NPDES WW Permit No. NCG530095. A summary of the findings and comments noted during the inspection are provided in the enclosed copy of the inspection report. The Compliance Evaluation inspection was conducted by Division of Water Resources staff from the Asheville Regional Office. The following deficiency was noted during the inspection: Inspection Area Description of Deficiency _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Effluent Sampling Required effluent sampling was not performed in 2020. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DocuSign Envelope ID: 74D84920-F712-4D4D-88DE-B863DB576B05 Remedial actions should have already been taken to correct this problem and prevent further occurrences in the future. The Division of Water Resources may pursue enforcement action for this and any additional violations of State law. To prevent further action, carefully review these deficiencies and address the causes of non-compliance to prevent the recurrence of similar situations. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Lauren Armeni with the Water Quality Regional Operations Section in the Asheville Regional Office at 828-296-4667. Sincerely, Daniel Boss, Assistant Regional Supervisor Water Quality Regional Operations Section Asheville Regional Office Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ ATTACHMENTS: Inspection Report Ec: Laserfiche DocuSign Envelope ID: 74D84920-F712-4D4D-88DE-B863DB576B05 EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Water Compliance Inspection Report Form Approved. OMB No. 2040-0057 Approval expires 8-31-98 Section A: National Data System Coding (i.e., PCS) Transaction Code NPDES yr/mo/day Inspection Type Inspector Fac Type 1 N 52 NCG530095 22/09/26 C S31112171819 20 21 66 Inspection Work Days Facility Self-Monitoring Evaluation Rating B1 QA ----------------------Reserved------------------- N67707172 73 74 75 80 Section B: Facility Data Name and Location of Facility Inspected (For Industrial Users discharging to POTW, also include POTW name and NPDES permit Number) Cooper Creek Trout Farm 3365 Coopers Creek Rd Bryson City NC 28713 Entry Time/Date Permit Effective Date Exit Time/Date Permit Expiration Date 10:30AM 22/09/26 21/12/01 Name(s) of Onsite Representative(s)/Titles(s)/Phone and Fax Number(s) /// Other Facility Data 12:00PM 22/09/26 26/11/30 Name, Address of Responsible Official/Title/Phone and Fax Number Gerald R Laschober,3365 Coopers Creek Rd Bryson City NC 28713//828-488-2500/Contacted No Section C: Areas Evaluated During Inspection (Check only those areas evaluated) Permit Operations & Maintenance Records/Reports Self-Monitoring Program Facility Site Review Effluent/Receiving Waters Section D: Summary of Finding/Comments (Attach additional sheets of narrative and checklists as necessary) (See attachment summary) Name(s) and Signature(s) of Inspector(s)Agency/Office/Phone and Fax Numbers Date Lauren E Armeni DWR/ARO WQ/828-296-4500/ Signature of Management Q A Reviewer Agency/Office/Phone and Fax Numbers Date EPA Form 3560-3 (Rev 9-94) Previous editions are obsolete. Page#1 DocuSign Envelope ID: 74D84920-F712-4D4D-88DE-B863DB576B05 10/3/2022 10/3/2022 NPDES yr/mo/day 22/09/26 Inspection Type C3111218 1 Section D: Summary of Finding/Comments (Attach additional sheets of narrative and checklists as necessary) Lauren Armeni, with the Asheville Regional Office, conducted a Compliance Evaluation Inspection (CEI) of Cooper Creek Trout Farm on September 26, 2022. The inspection was conducted to determine if the system is being operated and maintained in compliance with General NPDES Permit No. NCG530000. Gerry Laschhober (Owner) was present during the inspection. Mr. Laschober gave Ms. Armeni a tour of the trout farm operation, starting with the water intake and ending with the outfall that discharges into Cooper Creek. The CEI Report from 2014 indicated that a vacuum system would be installed for the raceways to better manage solids within the system. This vacuum system has not been installed yet, but Mr. Laschober said that is still the plan. Currently, the quiescent zones are pumped out as needed, and the three settling ponds are cleaned out once a year. The receiving stream appeared to be unimpacted from the discharge. Effluent Sampling: Sampling was not conducted in 2020. Mr. Laschober was made aware of the additional sampling requirements per Part I, Section A. of the current General Permit NCG530000, and that these additional parameters need to be sampled for prior to December 1, 2022. The following deficiency was noted during the inspection: 1. Effluent Sampling: Required effluent sampling was not performed in 2020. NCG530095 17 (Cont.) Page#2 DocuSign Envelope ID: 74D84920-F712-4D4D-88DE-B863DB576B05 Permit:NCG530095 Inspection Date:09/26/2022 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Cooper Creek Trout Farm Compliance Evaluation Permit Yes No NA NE (If the present permit expires in 6 months or less). Has the permittee submitted a new application? Is the facility as described in the permit? # Are there any special conditions for the permit? Is access to the plant site restricted to the general public? Is the inspector granted access to all areas for inspection? Comment: Operations & Maintenance Yes No NA NE Is the plant generally clean with acceptable housekeeping? Does the facility analyze process control parameters, for ex: MLSS, MCRT, Settleable Solids, pH, DO, Sludge Judge, and other that are applicable? The facility appears to be well-maintained and operated.Comment: Record Keeping Yes No NA NE Are records kept and maintained as required by the permit? Is all required information readily available, complete and current? Are all records maintained for 3 years (lab. reg. required 5 years)? Are analytical results consistent with data reported on DMRs? Is the chain-of-custody complete? Dates, times and location of sampling Name of individual performing the sampling Results of analysis and calibration Dates of analysis Name of person performing analyses Transported COCs Are DMRs complete: do they include all permit parameters? Has the facility submitted its annual compliance report to users and DWQ? (If the facility is = or > 5 MGD permitted flow) Do they operate 24/7 with a certified operator on each shift? Is the ORC visitation log available and current? Is the ORC certified at grade equal to or higher than the facility classification? Is the backup operator certified at one grade less or greater than the facility classification? Page#3 DocuSign Envelope ID: 74D84920-F712-4D4D-88DE-B863DB576B05 Permit:NCG530095 Inspection Date:09/26/2022 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Cooper Creek Trout Farm Compliance Evaluation Record Keeping Yes No NA NE Is a copy of the current NPDES permit available on site? Facility has copy of previous year's Annual Report on file for review? Sampling results were not available for 2020. A copy of the current General Permit was provided during the inspection. Comment: Effluent Pipe Yes No NA NE Is right of way to the outfall properly maintained? Are the receiving water free of foam other than trace amounts and other debris? If effluent (diffuser pipes are required) are they operating properly? Comment: Effluent Sampling Yes No NA NE Is composite sampling flow proportional? Is sample collected below all treatment units? Is proper volume collected? Is the tubing clean? # Is proper temperature set for sample storage (kept at less than or equal to 6.0 degrees Celsius)? Is the facility sampling performed as required by the permit (frequency, sampling type representative)? Sampling was not conducted in 2020. See summary for details.Comment: Page#4 DocuSign Envelope ID: 74D84920-F712-4D4D-88DE-B863DB576B05