NC0090212_Fact Sheet_20240122

FACT SHEET
NPDES PERMIT No. NCO090212
Facility Information
Applicant/Facility:
Albemarle Kings Mountain Lithium Project
Applicant Address:
Albemarle Corporation, 4250 Congress St., Suite 900, Charlotte,
NC 28209
Facility Address:
348 Holiday Inn Drive, Kings Mountain, NC 28086
Permitted Flow (MGD):
5 MGD
Type of Waste:
Groundwater and Stormwater
Facility Classification:
II
Permit Status:
New Proposed Discharge
County:
Cleveland
Miscellaneous
Receiving Stream:
Kings Creek
Regional Office:
Mooresville
Stream Classification:
C
NC Grid/USGS Quad:
River Basin:
Broad
Date:
December 22, 2023
Subbasin
030805
Facility Location:
•
303 (d) listed?
No
Summer 7Q10 (cfs)
0.39
8-digit HUC
03050105
IWC (%):
95%
Overview:
• This is a new NPDES permit application from Albemarle Corporation for a proposed discharge
of comingled groundwater and stormwater from an old lithium mine pit. The pit depth reaches
165 ft. new mining operation. The proposed discharge is estimated to last anywhere from
10 months to 24 months depending on the environmental conditions. The facility will
obtain a separate mining permit prior to the beginning of the lithium ore excavation. The
maximum proposed discharge volume is 5.0 MGD.
• The 1,403-acre project site is located approximately 1 mile south of the downtown Kings
Mountain and consists primarily of historically mined land, forested land, and industrial mining
processing facilities.
• The dewatering project is necessary to restart operation of a former lithium mine facility that
operated from the 1940s through mid-1980s. Since then, the abandoned pit was filled with
groundwater and stormwater. Dewatering activities will include installing 4 Flyght pumps with
sufficient capacity to dewater, running two 18-inch HDPE pipelines in the pit for dewatering, and
one aboveground 20-inch HDPE pipeline that will run from the pit to the discharge point.
• The pit water will be treated prior to the discharge into the receiving stream. The treatment will
include two stages of chemical oxidation, media filtration, and membrane filtration.
• The facility conducted PFAS sampling of Pit Lake at 3 different locations, the samples were
collected at 10 ft. depth and analyzed for 40 PFAS parameters. The vast majority of the results
were below detection level (68%), and the rest were below 10 ng/L. The State of North Carolina
does not currently have promulgated surface water standards for any PFAS parameters.
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NPDES NC0089168
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Receiving Stream- Kings Creek
• The facility will discharge to Kings Creek, a perennial stream which is classified as Class C
waters in Broad River Basin.
• Kings Creek is not on the 2022 303(d) list. Annual 7Q10 flow for Kings Creek at the discharge
point is 0.39 cfs. This number was provided by the USGS.
• The facility stability assessment to alleviate concern for potential stream bank erosion due to the
significant increase in flow volume. SWCA Environmental Consultants concluded that
"...increases in flow due to the mine dewatering is not expected to adversely impact the banks
of Kings Creek."
Reasonable Potential Analysis
The Division conducted EPA -recommended analyses to determine the reasonable potential for
toxicants to be discharged at levels exceeding water quality standards/EPA criteria by this facility.
For the purposes of the RPA, the background concentrations for all parameters were assumed to
be below detections level. The RPA uses 95% probability level and 95% confidence basis in
accordance with the EPA Guidance entitled "Technical Support Document for Water Quality -based
Toxics Control." The RPA included evaluation of dissolved metals' standards, utilizing a default
hardness value of 25 mg/L CaCO3 for hardness -dependent metals. The RPA spreadsheets are
attached to this Fact Sheet.
The facility provided data from various depths of the pit lake. The Division used the data set
collected at 160 ft. because it has the highest concentrations of the parameters of concern.
The RPA calculations included: As, Ammonia, Be, Cd, Chlorides, Total Phenolic Compounds, Total
Cr, Cu, Cyanide, F, Pb, and Sulfide (please see attached). The flow of 5.0 MGD was used for the
analysis. The analysis indicates reasonable potential to violate the surface water quality standards or
EPA criteria for the following parameters: Ammonia, Chlorides, Cu, Cyanide, F, Se, Ag, and Sulfide.
The appropriate limits were added to the permit.
The proposed permit requires that EPA methods 200.7 or 200.8 (or the most current versions) shall
be used for analyses of all metals except for total mercury.
Engineering Alternatives Analysis (EAA)
• In accordance with state regulations concerning antidegradation (15A NCAC 2B.0201), the
permittee must consider non -discharge alternatives. The permit application contained an EAA
dated September 2011 to consider these options.
• The following options were considered: connection to an existing public water supply system,
land application (most soils in the area have very low percolations rate), wastewater reuse (no
clients available within 5 mile radius), direct discharge, and combinations of direct discharge
with on -site evaporation. As shown on the following table, it was demonstrated that the most
economical and technically feasible alternative was a direct discharge of all effluent to surface
waters. The Division concurs with the conclusions of the EAA.
Discharge Alternative
Present Value of Costs Analysis (20 Year)
100% Discharge to Kings Creek
$2,200,000
On -site evaporation & Discharge to
Kings Creek
$3,300,000
Connection to the TJ Ellison WWTP
$15,100,000
Antidegradation Evaluation
• In accordance with 15A NCAC 2H.0105(c)(2), non -discharge alternatives were considered in the
Engineering Alternatives Analysis (refer to EAA Section above).
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NPDES NC0089168
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A Public Notice will be placed in a local newspaper and on the DEQ web -site. The notice stated
1) the intent to issue an NPDES Permit and 2) the proposed discharge may affect future
discharge allocations.
The NC Antidegradation Policy at 15A NCAC 2B.0201 does not require an evaluation of
socioeconomic considerations. Nevertheless, the proposed quarry operation is anticipated to
provide numerous jobs and produce Lithium, which is essential in achieving Governor goals of
reducing global warming.
Based on evaluation of all data, the Division concludes that the level of water quality necessary
to protect the existing uses will be maintained and protected.
Permits Limits Development
• The flow limit was based on the maximum design flow provided by the permittee.
• The limits for Total Suspended Solids (were established in accordance with the 40 CFR
133.102.
• The pH limits in the permit are based on the North Carolina water quality standards (15A
NCAC 2B .0200).
• The turbidity limit in the permit (Outfall 002) is based on the North Carolina water quality
standards (15A NCAC 2B .0200).
• The Water Quality Based Effluent Limits for Total Chlorides, Total Copper, Total Cyanide,
Total Fluoride, Total Selenium, Total Silver, Total Sulfide, and NH3-N in the permit (Outfall
002 — dewatering) are based on the North Carolina water quality standards (15A NCAC 2B
.0200) and EPA water quality criteria and implemented as the results of the Reasonable
Potential Analysis.
• The monitoring for Total Mercury, Total Zinc, and Total Cadmium is based on the results of
the Reasonable Potential Analysis.
• The monitoring for Temperature, Total Nitrogen, and Total Phosphorus monitoring in the
permit is based on the requirements of 15A NCAC 2B .0500).
• The instream monitoring for pH, Temperature, and Turbidity is implemented to ensure that the
state water quality standard for these parameters are not contravened (15A NCAC 2B .0200).
• The Special Conditions entitled "Pumping Operation and Monitoring Plan" and "Best
Management Practices" were added to the permit to protect the receiving stream and
surrounding natural habitat from dewatering operations and are consistent with other major
dewatering permits.
The Division believes that the effluent limits proposed in the permit will be protective of state surface
water quality standards. The permit may be reopened and modified as more effluent
characterization is conducted and submitted.
NPDES CONTACT
If you have questions regarding any of the above information, please contact Sergei Chernikov at
[phone] or via email at [e-mail].
Fact Sheet
NPDES NC0089168
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