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Home My WebLink AboutNC0033227_NOD2024PC0006 & CEI Report_20240117 SENT VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY: NO HARD COPY WILL BE MAILED. January 17, 2024 Lucy Crocker TE Connectivity Corporation Email: lucy.crocker@te.com SUBJECT: NOTICE OF DEFICIENCY Tracking Number: NOD-2024-PC-0006 Permit No. NC0033227 TE Connectivity WWTP Buncombe County Dear Permittee: The North Carolina Division of Water Resources conducted an inspection of the TE Connectivity WWTP on January 8, 2024. This inspection was conducted to verify that the facility is operating in compliance with the conditions and limitations specified in NPDES WW Permit No. NC0033227. 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 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Operations & Maintenance Solids continue to be high throughout the plant. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DocuSign Envelope ID: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042 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 J. Boss, Acting Regional Supervisor Water Quality Regional Operations Section Asheville Regional Office Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ ATTACHMENTS: Inspection Report Ec: Kenneth Rummel (ORC, RPB Systems) Bob Barr (BORC, RPB Systems) DocuSign Envelope ID: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042 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 NC0033227 24/01/08 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) TE Connectivity WWTP 1396 Charlotte Hwy Fairview NC 28730 Entry Time/Date Permit Effective Date Exit Time/Date Permit Expiration Date 09:20AM 24/01/08 18/04/01 Name(s) of Onsite Representative(s)/Titles(s)/Phone and Fax Number(s) /// Robert P Barr/ORC/828-251-1900/ Other Facility Data 10:30AM 24/01/08 22/12/31 Name, Address of Responsible Official/Title/Phone and Fax Number Lucy Crocker,1396 Charlotte Hwy Fairview NC 287308544//828-279-9934/Contacted No Section C: Areas Evaluated During Inspection (Check only those areas evaluated) Permit Flow Measurement Operations & Maintenance Records/Reports Self-Monitoring Program Sludge Handling Disposal Facility Site Review Effluent/Receiving Waters Laboratory 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: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042 1/17/2024 1/17/2024 NPDES yr/mo/day 24/01/08 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 of the TE Connectivity WWTP on January 8, 2024. This inspection was conducted to determine whether the facility is being operated and maintained in compliance with NPDES Permit No. NC0033227. Bob Barr (BORC) was present and assisted in the inspection. The following items were noted during the inspection: 1. Permit: Several upgrades have been made to the WWTP since the last inspection in 2018. The following components were added: influent septic tank, equalization basin, and an aerated sludge holding tank. The permit is currently under renewal, so permitting will be contacted and these components will be added. 2. Operations & Maintenance: The solids are high throughout the plant. Settleability was 11% and the sludge blanket was 6.5' out of 9' water depth. There is now an aerated sludge holding tank to better manage solids, so solids should be wasted to the tank more frequently to decrease the level throughout the plant. The septic tank was last pumped on September 15, 2022. Since it has been over a year and solids are high throughout the plant, the tank should be pumped and the sludge level should be checked more frequently. 3. Equalization Basin: At the time of the inspection, there was a beeping noise inside the control panel of the EQ basin. Mr. Barr was not sure what it was from but said he would look into it and get it fixed. 4. Bar Screen: The previous inspection issued an NOD for the influent overflowing onto the ground because the bar screen had excessive debris. One of the grates on the bar screen was removed, so the bar screen does not function as intended; however, the plant was upgraded to add an influent septic tank which now catches the majority of debris before it enters the bar screen. 5. Disinfection - Tablet: The 2018 inspection report indicated that there was an unknown pipe in the chlorine contact chamber that went along the top of the chamber but did not flow into it. The pipe is still there, but Mr. Barr indicated that Mr. Mark Brooks (CDG Engineering & Associates) determined what the pipe was from while he was working on the plant upgrades. Mr. Brooks indicated that he had sent the previous inspector the plans, but she no longer works here and they could not be found. At the time of the inspection, there was flow coming in from two locations in the contact chamber and some suds were noted. It was clear that there was flow coming in from the disinfection tubes, but there was also flow coming in from the back of the chlorine contact chamber. It is recommended to determine the source of this additional flow into the chamber. The following deficiency was noted during the inspection: 1. Operations & Maintenance: The solids continue to be high throughout the plant. NC0033227 17 (Cont.) Page#2 DocuSign Envelope ID: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042 Permit:NC0033227 Inspection Date:01/08/2024 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: TE Connectivity WWTP 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? Upgrades to the plant were made after the 2018 inspection. See summary for details.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? Process controls analyzed include pH and settleability. Overall, the plant was still high in solids, as previously noted in the 2018 inspection report. See summary for details. 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: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042 Permit:NC0033227 Inspection Date:01/08/2024 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: TE Connectivity WWTP 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? Comment: Septic Tank Yes No NA NE (If pumps are used) Is an audible and visual alarm operational? Is septic tank pumped on a schedule? Are pumps or syphons operating properly? Are high and low water alarms operating properly? The septic tank was last pumped out on September 15, 2022. Since solids are high throughout the plant, the tank should be pumped and the sludge level should be checked more frequently. Comment: Equalization Basins Yes No NA NE Is the basin aerated? Is the basin free of bypass lines or structures to the natural environment? Is the basin free of excessive grease? Are all pumps present? Are all pumps operable? Are float controls operable? Are audible and visual alarms operable? # Is basin size/volume adequate? The EQ basin is an underground tank. The basin is not controlled by floats, but is a bubbler system that measures the pressure differential. At the time of the inspection, the control panel for the EQ basin was beeping, but Mr. Barr was not sure what the issue was. See summary for details. Comment: Bar Screens Yes No NA NE Type of bar screen a.Manual b.Mechanical Are the bars adequately screening debris? Is the screen free of excessive debris? Is disposal of screening in compliance? Is the unit in good condition? Page#4 DocuSign Envelope ID: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042 Permit:NC0033227 Inspection Date:01/08/2024 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: TE Connectivity WWTP Compliance Evaluation Bar Screens Yes No NA NE One grate was removed from the bar screen after the 2018 inspection, but upgrades have been made to the plant since then. See summary for details. Comment: Aeration Basins Yes No NA NE Mode of operation Ext. Air Type of aeration system Diffused Is the basin free of dead spots? Are surface aerators and mixers operational? Are the diffusers operational? Is the foam the proper color for the treatment process? Does the foam cover less than 25% of the basin’s surface? Is the DO level acceptable? Is the DO level acceptable?(1.0 to 3.0 mg/l) At the time of the inspection, Mr. Barr measured the DO and it was 5.75 mg/L. The DO has been higher due to the colder weather, and he has been adjusting the air depending on the temperature. Settleability was 890 mL/1000 mL or 11% after 30 minutes. Solids were high throughout the plant as previously noted in the 2018 inspection report. Comment: Secondary Clarifier Yes No NA NE Is the clarifier free of black and odorous wastewater? Is the site free of excessive buildup of solids in center well of circular clarifier? Are weirs level? Is the site free of weir blockage? Is the site free of evidence of short-circuiting? Is scum removal adequate? Is the site free of excessive floating sludge? Is the drive unit operational? Is the return rate acceptable (low turbulence)? Is the overflow clear of excessive solids/pin floc? Is the sludge blanket level acceptable? (Approximately ¼ of the sidewall depth) At the time of the inspection, the sludge blanket was 6.5' out of a 9' water depth, further indicating that there are too many solids throughout the plant. The sludge blanket was also high as indicated in the 2018 inspection report. Mr. Barr indicated that solids were wasted to the digester around six weeks ago. Comment: Page#5 DocuSign Envelope ID: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042 Permit:NC0033227 Inspection Date:01/08/2024 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: TE Connectivity WWTP Compliance Evaluation Aerobic Digester Yes No NA NE Is the capacity adequate? Is the mixing adequate? Is the site free of excessive foaming in the tank? # Is the odor acceptable? # Is tankage available for properly waste sludge? An aerated sludge holding tank was added to the system after the 2018 inspection. The holding tank is underground and is therefore harder to evaluate. Mr. Barr indicated that Mike's Septic Tank Service pumps out the tank as needed. Comment: Disinfection-Tablet Yes No NA NE Are tablet chlorinators operational? Are the tablets the proper size and type? Number of tubes in use?1 Is the level of chlorine residual acceptable? Is the contact chamber free of growth, or sludge buildup? Is there chlorine residual prior to de-chlorination? The chlorine contact basin is a large buried basin, similar to a larger septic tank. See summary for details. Comment: De-chlorination Yes No NA NE Type of system ?Tablet Is the feed ratio proportional to chlorine amount (1 to 1)? Is storage appropriate for cylinders? # Is de-chlorination substance stored away from chlorine containers? Comment: Are the tablets the proper size and type? Are tablet de-chlorinators operational? Number of tubes in use?2 The tablet dechlorination tubes are located away from the plant and closer to outfall 001 from the WWTP. Two tubes were in use out of the three tubes. 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? Page#6 DocuSign Envelope ID: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042 Permit:NC0033227 Inspection Date:01/08/2024 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: TE Connectivity WWTP Compliance Evaluation Effluent Pipe Yes No NA NE The 2018 inspection report indicated that the bank of the wastewater effluent pipe (outfall 001) was eroding. The streambank is still eroding; however, it does not appear that it is currently compromising the effluent pipe. Continue to assess the bank and verify that the pipe is not being compromised. 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)? The permit requires grab samples only.Comment: Page#7 DocuSign Envelope ID: AEE4C925-3437-4D50-93B0-A593A36AD042