NC0087840_Permit (Modification)_20230912

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality  Division of Water Resources
512 North Salisbury Street  1617 Mail Service Center  Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617 -- 919.707.3616

ROY COOPER
Governor
ELIZABETH BISER
Secretary
RICHARD E. ROGERS, JR
Director

September 12, 2023

The Honorable Luther H. Lewis, Jr., Mayor
Town of Middlesex
P. O. Box 69
Middlesex, North Carolina 27557

Subject: Review of Renewal Permit DRAFT
NPDES NC0087840
Middlesex Well No.4 WTP, Class PC-I
10921 East Finch Street, Middlesex
Nash County
Your Honor:
In response to your request to renew the subject NPDES permit, received on May 22, 2023, the
Division of Water Resources (DWR or the Division) hereby transmits this draft permit 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 Nash 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 October 20, 2023,
approximately 30 days after receiving this letter. Your written comments are welcome, but they are not
mandatory.

Summary of Changes for Renewal 2023.
1. continued potable water treatment plant (WTP) strategy (2012), quarterly monitoring for
Total Manganese as required of greensand filter treatment technology
2. continued Total Nitrogen / Total Phosphorus (TN/TP) monitoring semi-annually, per
Neuse River Basin Nutrient Management Guidelines.
3. this facility not eligible for WTP General Permit NCG590000 because TN/TP
monitoring is required
4. updated site map and the Supplement to Permit Cover Sheet narrative.
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.
Luther H. Lewis, Jr., Mayor
Town of Middlesex
September 2023
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 concerning this draft, please e-mail the undersigned [[e-mail]].

Respectfully,

________________________
Joe R. Corporon, P.G.
NCDEQ / DWR / NPDES Permitting

Enclosure: NPDES Permit NC0087840 (renewal DRAFT)

ec: NPDES Program Files
Central Files [Laserfiche]
RRO/SWPS, Vanessa Manuel
OCU, Maureen Kinney

NPDES Permit NC0087840
Page 1 of 6

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
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 Middlesex

is hereby authorized to discharge treated wastewater from a facility known as

Middlesex Well No. 4 Water Treatment Plant (WTP)
10921 East Finch Street, Middlesex
Nash County

to receiving waters designated as unnamed tributary (UT) to Turkey Creek within the Neuse River
Basin, in accordance with effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set
forth in Parts I, II, III, and IV hereof.

The permit shall become effective, ……….., 2023.

This permit and the authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on April 30, 2028.

Signed this day …………….., 2023.

Richard E. Rogers, Jr., Director
Division of Water Resources
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
NPDES Permit NC0087840
Page 2 of 6

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 Middlesex

is hereby authorized to:

1. continue to operate a filter-backwash treatment system employing greensand filter technology to
treat groundwater in support of potable-water production (design flow 0.133 MGD), generating a
backwash discharge averaging 0.0034 MGD [once per week] utilizing

• raw water [pumped from a single well – 185 gpm]
• disinfection system (chlorination using sodium hypochlorite)
• two (2) each, circular 6 ft-diameter greensand filter tanks
• potable water air-stripper system
• one (1) flow meter for filter-backwash discharge
• two (2) each, 8 ft x 36 ft wastewater drying beds
• tablet dechlorination

these facilities located at the Middlesex Well No. 4, potable Water Treatment Plant (WTP), 10921
East Finch Street, Middlesex, Nash County, and

2. discharge from said treatment works via Outfall 001, at a location specified on the attached map,
to an unnamed tributary (UT) to Turkey Creek [Stream Segment 27-86-3-(1)], a waterbody
currently classified C; NSW within Hydrological Unit 03-04-07 [HUC: 030202030104] of the
Neuse River Basin.

NPDES Permit NC0087840
Page 3 of 6

PART I

A. (1.) EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
[NCAC 02B.0400 et seq., 02B.0500 et seq.] WPCS Class PC-1[15A NCAC 08G .0302]

During the period beginning on the effective date of this permit and lasting until expiration, the Permittee is
authorized to discharge filter backwash via Outfall 001. Such discharges shall be limited, monitored and
reported1 by the Permittee as specified below:

EFFLUENT
CHARACTERISTIC
[PARAMETER CODES]
LIMITS MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
Monthly
Average
Daily
Maximum
Measurement
Frequency
Sample
Type
Sample
Location
Flow 2 50050 2/Month Instantaneous Effluent
Total Suspended Solids CO530 30.0 mg/L 45.0 mg/L 2/Month Grab Effluent
Total Residual Chlorine 50060 17 µg/L 3 2/Month Grab Effluent
pH [standard units] 00400 Not < 6.0 or > 9.0 2/Month Grab Effluent
Turbidity (mg/L) 00070 2/Month Grab Effluent
Total Manganese (µg/L) 01055 Quarterly Grab Effluent
Total Nitrogen (TN) 4 (mg/L) CO610 Semi-annually Grab Effluent
Total Phosphorus (TP) (mg/L) CO665 Semi-annually Grab Effluent

Footnotes:

1. Beginning from the permit effective date, the Permittee shall report monthly discharge monitoring
data electronically using the NCDWR’s Electronic Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) internet
application [See Section A. (2.) for eDMR submittal requirements].
2. Flow: Permittee shall record both flow rate and flow duration in log books; logs to be kept onsite
available for DWR inspection; Permittee shall report Total Daily Discharge in all monthly
DMRs/eDMRs.
3. The Division shall consider compliant all TRC effluent 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. TN = TKN + NO3-N + NO2-N, where TN is Total Nitrogen, TKN is Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, and
NO3-N + NO2-N are Nitrate and Nitrite Nitrogen, respectively.
Conditions:
• All effluent samples shall accurately represent the physical and/or chemical character of the discharge.
• The Permittee shall discharge no floating solids or foam visible in other than trace amounts.
• There shall be no discharge of wastes or chemicals unrelated to responsible treatment of raw water.

NPDES Permit NC0087840
Page 4 of 6

A. (2.) 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 or supersedes the following sections within Part II of
this permit (Standard Conditions for NPDES Permits):

• Section B. (11.) Signatory Requirements
• Section D. (2.) Reporting
• Section D. (6.) Records Retention
• Section E. (5.) Monitoring Reports

1. Reporting Requirements [Supersedes Section D. (2.) and Section E. (5.) (a)]
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. Until such time that the
state’s eDMR application is compliant with EPA’s Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Regulation
(CROMERR), permittees will be required to submit all discharge monitoring data to the state
electronically using eDMR and will be required to complete the eDMR submission by printing,
signing, and submitting one signed original and a copy of the computer printed eDMR to the
following address:

NC DEQ / Division of Water Resources / Water Quality Permitting Section
ATTENTION: Central Files
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617

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 mailing address above. 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.
NPDES Permit NC0087840
Page 5 of 6

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(l)(9), the permittee must identify the initial recipient at the
time of each electronic submission. The permittee should use the EPA’s website resources to
identify the initial recipient for the electronic submission.
Initial recipient of electronic NPDES information from NPDES-regulated facilities means the
entity (EPA or the state authorized by EPA to implement the NPDES program) that is the
designated entity for receiving electronic NPDES data [see 40 CFR 127.2(b)].
EPA plans to establish a website that will also link to the appropriate electronic reporting tool for
each type of electronic submission and for each state. Instructions on how to access and use the
appropriate electronic reporting tool will be available as well. Information on EPA’s NPDES
Electronic Reporting Rule is found at:
https://www.federalregister.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.

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

NPDES Permit NC0087840
Page 6 of 6

4. Signatory Requirements [Supplements Section B. (11.) (b) and Supersedes Section B. (11.) (d)]
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 electronic DMR using the state’s eDMR system shall
make the following certification [40 CFR 122.22]. NO OTHER STATEMENTS OF
CERTIFICATION WILL BE ACCEPTED:

"I certify, under penalty of law, that this document and all attachments were prepared under my
direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel
properly gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or
persons who manage the system, or those persons directly responsible for gathering the
information, the information submitted is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true, accurate,
and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information,
including the possibility of fines and imprisonment for knowing violations."

5. Records Retention [Supplements Section D. (6.)]
The permittee shall retain records of all Discharge Monitoring 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].

Town of Middlesex
Middlesex Well No. 4 WTP
Latitude: 35 47’ 15” N Longitude: 78 11’ 42” W
Stream Class: C; NSW Receiving Stream: UT to Turkey Creek
Stream Segment: 27-86-3-(1) HUC: 030202030104
Drainage Basin: Neuse River Basin Sub-Basin: 03-04-07
USGS Quad: Middlesex, NC
NPDES Permit NC0087840
Nash County
Facility
Location
not to scale
North
N. Nash Street
NC Hwy 264
UT to Turkey Creek
(flows SE)
Turkey Creek
(flows SE)
Outfall 001