WQ0003924_BIMS Report_20230404

Compliance Inspection Report
Permit:WQ0003924 Effective: 03/26/19 Expiration: 07/31/24 Owner: Linco Partnership
SOC: Effective: Expiration: Facility: Linco Partnership- Lincolnton WWTF
County: Lincoln 288 Whitehouse Dr
Region: Mooresville PO Box 916
Lincolnton NC 28093
Contact Person:Ronald Buck Title: Phone: [phone]
Directions to Facility:
From Hwy 150 in Pumpkin Center, travel west for approx. two miles and turn right onto Shuford Rd. Travel approx.five miles to its
intersection with Old Hwy 321 (Maiden Rd). Turn left and travel approx. two miles to White House Rd on the right.
System Classifications: SI,
Primary ORC: Certification: Phone:
Secondary ORC(s):
On-Site Representative(s):
Related Permits:
Inspection Date: 01/23/2023 Entry Time 10:OOAM Exit Time: 01:15PM
Primary Inspector:Edward Watson Phone:
Secondary Inspector(s):
Reason for Inspection: Routine Inspection Type: Compliance Evaluation
Permit Inspection Type: Wastewater Irrigation
Facility Status: ❑ Compliant Not Compliant
Question Areas:
Miscellaneous Questions Record Keeping Treatment Lagoons
(See attachment summary)
Page 1 of 4

Permit: WQ0003924 Owner-Facility:Linco Partnership
Inspection Date: 01/23/2023 Inspection Type:Compliance Evaluation Reason for Visit: Routine
Inspection Summary:
On January 23, 2023, MRO staff performed a Compliance Inspection for the Linco Partnership Wastewater Treatment
System under Permit WQ0003924. MRO staff was on-site at 10:00 AM. The MRO staff met with Mr. Tom Whitner, P.G. of
CDG.
Activities that have occurred to address ongoing issues at the facility are:
1. On December 7, 2022, MRO received photo documentation regarding the pressure washing of the 300,000-gallon surge
tank, the sump pits, and the rinse pit.
2. Included in the December 7, 2022 communication, the MRO received electronic communication from Sheild
Engineering,(now GDC)that the rinse pit was emptied, pressure cleaned, and the wastewater from the rinse pit was properly
disposed of. The MRO staff was electronically provided with the Waste Manifests documents for the disposal of the
wastewater from these activities.
During the site visit, a sump pump was observed in the Southwest corner of the rinse pit. However, MRO staff was not able
to identify where the pumped water was being sent to. The MRO is satisfied the wastewater in the front pit has been
addressed properly.
3. The December 7, 2022, waste manifests include the disposal of the fluid that was in the 300,000-gallon surge tank and
the sludge pits. Photo documentation was provided as part of this communication.
During the site visit, the sludge pits were full of fluid. The fluid in the pit water displayed a sheen and the pits were near the
top of their storage capacity. The presence of a sheen indicates that the water in the pits continues to be wastewater. Mr.
Whitner offered to have the pit water sampled to determine if the water could be classified as stormwater. MRO staff has not
received water sampling results to see if the water in the pits can be classified as other than wastewater. The high water
level of the pits indicates that with a reasonable amount of precipitation, the pits could overflow and travel overland to the
surface water feature on the South side of the property.
A WWT System Closure Report was received from CDG on January 26, 2023. CDG report indicates the water that enters
the sludge pits is stormwater coming off of the roof drains. It is also known that stormwater flows through an underground
drain network that discharges into the same pits.
During the site visit, we were able to locate a map that displays the underground drain network. Mr. Whitner agreed to have
a copy of the map sent to the MRO. However, the MRO DWR is not aware of a separate Stormwater Permit being in place
for this facility.
Mr. Whitner also conveyed separately, that the treatment system tank inside the building is scheduled to be removed and
sold. The presence of residual material from the treatment system may be present in the drain lines. The residual waste
could be what was observed in the waste pits. However, the pits can no longer transfer fluid to the 300,000-gallon surge
tank.
The 300,000-gallon surge tank was also observed during the site visit. The tank had been emptied and cleaned. There was
a small amount of rainwater observed in the 300,000-gallon tank. A square hole was cut into the south side of the tank
about 2.5 feet above the bottom of the tank. According to the document provided by CDM, Linco is planning on having the
tank dismantled and removed from the property.
Page 2 of 4

Permit: WQ0003924 Owner-Facility:Linco Partnership
Inspection Date: 01/23/2023 Inspection Type:Compliance Evaluation Reason for Visit: Routine
Type Yes No NA NE
Reuse(Quality) ❑
Infiltration System ❑
Single Family Spray, LR ❑
Activated Sludge Spray, HR ❑
Activated Sludge Spray, LR ❑
Activated Sludge Drip, LR ❑
Recycle/Reuse ❑
Single Family Drip ❑
Lagoon Spray, LR
Record Keeping Yes No NA NE
Is a copy of current permit available? ❑ 0 ❑ ❑
Are monitoring reports present: NDMR? ❑ 0 ❑ ❑
NDAR? ❑ 0 ❑ ❑
Are flow rates less than of permitted flow? ❑ ❑ 0 ❑
Are flow rates less than of permitted flow? ❑ ❑ 0 ❑
Are application rates adhered to? ❑ ❑ ❑
Is GW monitoring being conducted, if required (GW-59s submitted)? ❑ ❑ ❑
Are all samples analyzed for all required parameters? ❑ ❑ ❑
Are there any 2L GW quality violations? ❑ ❑ ❑
Is GW-59A certification form completed for facility? ❑ ❑ ❑
Is effluent sampled for same parameters as GW? ❑ ❑ ❑
Do effluent concentrations exceed GW standards? ❑ ❑ ❑
Are annual soil reports available? ❑ ❑ ❑
#Are PAN records required? ❑ ❑ ❑
#Did last soil report indicate a need for lime? ❑ ❑ ❑
If so, has it been applied? ❑ ❑ ❑
Are operational logs present? ❑ 0 ❑ ❑
Are lab sheets available for review? ❑ 0 ❑ ❑
Do lab sheets support data reported on NDMR? ❑ ❑ ❑
Do lab sheets support data reported on GW-59s? ❑ ❑ ❑
Are Operational and Maintenance records present? ❑ ❑ ❑
Were Operational and Maintenance records complete? ❑ ❑ ❑
Has permittee been free of public complaints in last 12 months? 0 ❑ ❑ ❑
Is a copy of the SOC readily available? ❑ ❑ 0 ❑
Page 3 of 4

Permit: WQ0003924 Owner-Facility:Linco Partnership
Inspection Date: 01/23/2023 Inspection Type:Compliance Evaluation Reason for Visit: Routine
No treatment units bypassed since last inspection? ❑ 0 ❑ ❑
Comment: There is no ORC or backup ORC assigned to the facility.
NDMR and NDAR-1 reports have not been submitted for over two years.
O&M records for the facility are not being kept for the facility.
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