NC0024236_Response to Notice_20240426

Kinston
ON
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PUBLIC
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Buildings & Grounds, Business Office, Electric, Engineering, Environmental Services, 2009
Fleet Maintenance, Meter Reading, Stormwater, Streets, Wastewater, and Water
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Apri124, 2024
NC DWQ-Washington Regional Office
Attn: Robert Bullock
943 Washington Square Mall
Washington, NC 27889
Re: Notice of Violation & Intent to Assess Civil Penalty Response from the City of Kinston
Tracking Number: NOV-2024-PC-0242
Dear Mr. Bullock:
The City of Kinston has received a Notice of Violation and Intent to Assess Civil Penalty from the Division of
Water Resources, NCDEQ, dated April 24, 2024. Based on that NOV, the City of Kinston requests that the
Division consider this response letter in regards to the violation that occurred on April 6, 2024.
With influent flow rates at normal levels, plant staff started to drawdown contents of the Peak Flow Basins on
April 3, 2024. At 5:05 pm on April 5, 2024, staff stopped the drawdown due to rising sludge levels in the
clarifier. Influent flow rates were still normal, however, influent TSS was measured at 555 mg/L, well above the
normal range of 100-200 mg/L.
Despite having stopped the drawdown operation, sludge levels continued to rise in clarifier 93. We began to
experience heavy pin flocking from clarifier #3 and by 10:55 am, we had to start bypassing the filters. As you are
aware, the filters are the last stage of treatment prior to UV disinfection and final discharge to the Neuse River.
The State (Mr. Bullock) was notified around 4:00 pm that evening.
All filters were put back on line at 8:34 am, Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
Daily composite effluent TSS results for the week are as follows:
• Apri105, 2024 <2.5 mg/L
• April 07, 2024:
620 mg/L
• April 08, 2024:
645 mg/L
• April 09, 2024
126.1 mg/L
• April 10, 2024:
<2.5 mg/L
• April 11, 2024
<2.5 mg/L
• April 12, 2024
<2.5 mg/L
The April 7 thru April 12, weekly average limit value of 231.85 mg/L did exceed the TSS limit.
No other effluent violations have been seen.
Sludge wasting data from April 1-6 was 196,599 gallons.
Johnnie Mosley Regional Water Reclamation Facility
2101 Becton Farm Rd Kinston, North Carolina 28501 Phone [phone] Fax [phone]

Solids within the basins remain constant with where we should be at this time of the year considering the
changeover from Winter to the Spring months. We are at full operations with our dewatering and sludge
removal. We currently have about 75% of space free for sludge storage. We have incorporated the use of a
tandem dump truck to allow more runtime of the belt presses during the day versus using our smaller dump
truck. Hopefully, this speeds up the reduction of our sludge concentration down to our Spring and Summer
levels. We're constantly in contact with our sludge haulers (Synagro and McGill) to come up with other ways to
maintain manageable sludge levels in our system.
We are not sure what truly caused the sludge blanket to rise so high in that one clarifier. We are hoping the
above -mentioned changes, along with continued running of our belt presses, will lower our solids levels within
the system. Since the bypass, the clarifier has operated properly and maintained normal solids levels.
If I can be of any further assistance, please call me at 252-939-3308 or email at [e-mail].
Sincerely,
Ellis Faison, Jr.
Johnnie Mosley RWRF Supervisor (Backup ORC)
C:
Rhonda Barwick- City Manager
Steve Miller- Director of Public Services
Kenneth Stevens, Jr-JMRWRF Superintendent
File
Johnnie Mosley Regional Water Reclamation Facility
2101 Becton Farm Rd Kinston, North Carolina 28501 Phone [phone] Fax [phone]