NC0067326_Draft Permit_20231010

ROY Governor COOPER - ',1'I.
I
ELIZABETH S.BISER
Secretary
RICHARD E.ROGERS.JR. NORTH CAROLINA
Director Environmental Quality
October 10, 2023
Mr. James A. Vanderwoude
Country Bear LLC
145 River Road
Franklin,NC 28734
Subject: Draft NPDES Permit NC0067326
Whistle Stop WWTP
Macon County
Grade WW-2 Biological WPCS
Dear Mr. Vanderwoude:
The Division has reviewed your request to renew the subject permit. Please review this draft carefully to ensure a
thorough understanding of the information,conditions,and requirements it contains.
The final permit includes the following significant changes from the existing permit:
➢ Section A.(2) has been updated regarding electronic submission of effluent data. Federal regulations
require electronic submittal of all discharge monitoring reports(DMRs).
➢ Monitoringfor turbidityhas been added to determine compliance with 15A NCAC 02B.0211
p
(21) (for trout waters).
➢ Monitoring for dissolved oxygen has been added to determine compliance with 15A NCAC
02B.0211 (6) (for trout waters).
➢ Instream monitoring for temperature was added to determine compliance with 15A NCAC
02B.0211 (18) (for trout waters).
With this notification,the Division will solicit public comment on this draft permit by publishing a notice in
newspapers having circulation in the general Macon County area,per EPA requirements. Please provide your
comments,if any,to me no later than 30 days after receiving this draft permit.
Following the 30-day public comment period,the Division will review all pertinent comments and take
appropriate action prior to issuing a final permit. If you have questions concerning the draft,please contact me via
e-mail at [[e-mail]] or via phone at[919-707-3600].
Sincerely,
, q/
)1t"' P a
Sara Bassett
Environmental Specialist I
NPDES Compliance and Expedited Permitting
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cc: NPDES [Laserfiche]
Asheville Regional Office [Laserfiche]
Operator Certification Program[Laserfiche]

Permit NC0067326
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 provision 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,
Country Bear LLC
are hereby authorized to discharge wastewater from a facility located at the
Whistle Stop WWTP
145 River Road, east of Franklin
Macon County
to receiving waters designated as the Cullasaja River in subbasin 04-04-01 of the Little Tennessee 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
This permit and authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on November 30, 2028.
Signed this day
Richard E. Rogers, Jr., Director
Division of Water Resources
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Page 1 of 6

Permit NC0067326
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.
Country Bear LLC is hereby authorized to:
1. Continue to operate an existing 0.003 MGD facility that includes the following components:
• 2000-gallon primary clarifier tank
• Flow equalization
• 2000-gallon Aero-Flow aerobic system
• 580-ft2 sand filter
• 1200-gallon chlorine chamber
• 600-gallon polishing tank
This class WW-2 facility is located at the Whistle Stop WWTP, east of Franklin off River Road in
Macon County.
2. Discharge from said treatment works at the location specified on the attached map into the Cullasaja
River, currently classified B-Trout waters in the Little Tennessee River Basin.
Page 2 of 6

Permit NC0067326
Part I.
A. (1.) EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
[15A NCAC 02B .0400 et seq., 02B .0500 et seq.]
Grade WW-2 Biological Water Pollution Control System [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 and monitored2 by the Permittee as
specified below:
PARAMETER LIMITS MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
Monthly Daily Measurement Sample Type Sample
[Parameter Code] Average Maximum Frequency Location'
Flow Influent or
0.003 MGD Weekly Instantaneous
[50050] Effluent
BOD,5-day(20°C) 30.0 mg/L 45.0 mg/L 2/Month Grab Effluent
[00310]
Total Suspended Solids 30.0 mg/L 45.0 mg/L 2/Month Grab Effluent
[00530]
NH3 as N Monthly Grab Effluent
[00610]
Fecal Coliform(geometric 400/100
mean) 200/100 mL mL 2/Month Grab Effluent
[31616]
Total Residual Chlorine'
(TRC) 171ig/L 2/Week Grab Effluent
[50060]
Dissolved Oxygen Weekly Grab Effluent
[00300]
Turbidity Weekly Grab Effluent
[00070]
Temperature(°C) Weekly Grab Effluent
[00010]
Temperature(°C) WeeklyGrab Upstream&
[00010] Downstream
pH > 6.0 and<9.0 standard 2/Month Grab Effluent
[00400] units
Notes:
I. The Permittee shall report all effluent TRC values reported by a NC-certified laboratory[including field-certified].
Effluent values<50 µg/L will be treated as zero for compliance purposes. (NOTE: If dechlorination equipment is
required to maintain compliance with the TRC limit, the Permittee must apply for and receive an Authorization to
Construct(AtC)permit from the Division for installation of dechlorination equipment.)
2. The Permittee shall submit discharge monitoring reports electronically using the Division's eDMR system[see A.(2.)].
3. U:upstream 100 feet above the outfall. D:downstream 200 feet below the outfall.
Page 3 of 6

Permit NC0067326
There shall be no discharge of floating solids or visible foam in other than trace amounts.
A. (2.) ELECTRONIC REPORTING -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.) (all
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
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617
See"How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below.
Monitoring results obtained during the previous month(s) shall be summarized for each month and
reported via the eDMR system no later than the last calendar day of the month following the
completed reporting period. Regardless of the submission method, the first DMR is due on the last
Page 4 of 6

Permit NC0067326
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), 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:
Page 5 of 6

Permit NC0067326
http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr
4. Signatory Requirements [Supplements Section B. (11.) (b) and Supersedes Section B. (11.)
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.)1
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].
Page 6 of 6

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NC0067326 — Whistle Stop WWTP Facility
Latitude: 35209'04" Longitude: 83918'53" Location
Sub basin: 04-04-01 Basin: Little Tennessee
Receiving Stream: Cullasaja River Stream Index:2-21-(5.5) Macon County
Stream Class: B;Trout HUC: 06010202
[map not to scale]