NC0087998_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 -- 919.707.9000

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

September 12, 2023

AQUA of North Carolina
Attn. Amanda Berger, Manager Environmental Compliance
AQUA North Carolina, Inc.
202 MacKenan Court
Cary, North Carolina 27511

Subject: Review of Renewal DRAFT
NPDES Permit NC0087998 -
Rand Meadows Phase II Water Treatment Plant (WTP)
Located at Ten Ten Rd and Rand Rd, Raleigh
Wake County
Ms. Berger:
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 13, 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 is not eligible for WTP General Permit NCG590000 because TN/TP
monitoring is required by Neuse Rules.
4. updated site map and the Supplement to Permit Cover Sheet narrative.
Amanda Berger, Manager Environmental Compliance
Draft Review – NC0087998
Sep2023
Page 2

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.

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 NC0087998 (permit renewal draft)

ec: NPDES Program Files [Laserfiche]
RRO/SWPS, Vanessa Manuel
OCU, Maureen Kinney
AQUA Amanda Berger
Wake County, Eric Green [[e-mail]]

Permit NC0087998

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
DIVISION OF WATER QUALITY

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

AQUA North Carolina, Inc.

is hereby authorized to discharge wastewater from a facility located at the

Rand Meadows Phase II WTP
NCSR 1010 and Rand Road, Raleigh
Wake County

to receiving waters designated as an unnamed tributary to Juniper Branch in the Neuse River Basin
in accordance with effluent limits, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set forth in Parts
I, II, III, and IV hereof.

This permit shall become effective ……………. 2023.

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

Signed this day ……………… 2023.

Richard E. Rogers, Jr., Director
Division of Water Quality
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Permit NC0087998

SUPPLEMENT TO PERMIT COVER SHEET

All previous NPDES Permits issued to this facility, whether for operation or discharge are hereby
revoked. As of this permit 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 included herein.

AQUA North Carolina, Inc.

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 0.063 MGD), generating a
filter backwash averaging monthly 0.0019 MGD [discharge 24 min/day, six (6) day/week]
utilizing, but not limited to, the components
• groundwater extraction well w/ flow meter
• disinfection chlorine/ dechlor [calcium thiosulphate]
• three (3) each greensand filters
• backwash carbon filter w/ meter
• storage tank [backwash, 5, 000 gals]
• potable- water distribution line w/ meter
• backwash wastewater line with effluent sample port
• discharge line to subsurface rock-bed filter and outfall
• sludge removal for landfill disposal
Chemicals used – chlorine, sodium phosphate, calcium thiosulphate,

these facilities located at the Rand Meadows Phase II Subdivision WTP, near the intersection of
Ten-Ten Road and Rand Road, in Wake County, and

2. discharge from said treatment works at the location specified on the attached map into an unnamed
tributary to Juniper Branch (Stream Segment 27-43-15-10-1), a waterbody currently classified C;
NSW within hydrological Unit 03-04-03 [HUC: 030202010902] of the Neuse River Basin.
Permit NC0087998

A. (1) EFFLUENT LIMITS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
[NCAC 02B. 0400 et seq., 02B. 0500 et seq.] Grade WPCS PC-1 [ 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 from Outfall 001. Such discharges shall be limited, monitored,
and reported 1 by the permittee as specified below:

EFFLUENT
CHARACTERISTICS

BIMS Parameter Code
LIMITS MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
Monthly
Average
Daily
Maximum
Measurement
Frequency
Sample
Type
Sample
Location
Flow 50050 2/Month Estimate2 Effluent
Total Suspended Solids
(TSS) CO310 30.0 mg/L 45.0 mg/L 2/Month Grab Effluent
pH (Standard Units) 00400 > 6.0 and < 9.0 s.u. 2/Month Grab Effluent
Total Residual Chlorine3 50060 17 µg/L3 2/Month Grab Effluent
Turbidity 00070 Monitor & Report Monthly Grab Effluent
Total Manganese 01055 Monitor & Report (µg/L) Quarterly Grab Effluent
Total Nitrogen (TN)4 (mg/ CO600 Monitor & Report (mg/L) Semi-annually Calculated Effluent
Total Phosphorus (TP) CO665 Monitor & Report (mg/L) Semi-annually Grab Effluent

Footnotes:
1. The permittee shall submit Discharge Monitoring Reports electronically using NC DWR’s
eDMR application system. See Special Condition A. (2).
2. Daily flow estimates are determined by the number and duration of backwash/rinse events.
3. 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 are less than 50 μg/L.
4. For a given wastewater sample, TN = (NO2-N + NO3-N) + TKN, where TN is Total Nitrogen,
(NO2-N + NO3-N) is Nitrite/Nitrate Nitrogen, and TKN is Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen.

Conditions:
• All samples shall accurately represent the physical and chemical characteristics of each discharge.
• The Permittee shall discharge no floating solids or foam visible in other than trace amounts.
Permit NC0087998

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.

Permit NC0087998

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

Permit NC0087998

4. Signatory Requirements [Supplements Sect. B. (11.) (b) and Supersedes Sect. 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].

NPDES Permit NC0087998
Wake County
Receiving Stream: UT to Juniper Branch River Basin: Neuse
Grid/Quad: E24NW/Lake Wheeler Stream Class: C; NSW
Latitude: 35º 35’ 25” N Subbasin: 03-04-03
Longitude: 78º 40’ 35” W Stream Segment: 27-43-15-10-1
Facility
Location
(Map not to scale)
North
AQUA North Carolina, Inc.
Rand Meadows Phase II WTP
Outfall 001
(flows W)
Ten Ten Road
UT to Juniper Branch
(flows S)
Holland Road
Sauls Road