NC0040061_Draft Permit_20240723

r ;O—
r
ROY COOPER .11
."c
Governor 1
ELIZABETH S.BISERy
Secretory
RICHARD E.ROGERS.JR. NORTH CAROLINA
Director Environmental Quality
July 23, 2024
Jeremy Sexton
County of Brunswick Public Utilities Commission
PO Box 249
Bolivia,NC 28422
Subject: Draft of NPDES Permit NC0040061
Beaverdam Creek WTP
Brunswick County
Grade I Physical Chemical WPCS
Dear Mr. Sexton:
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.
This draft contains the following major changes from the existing permit:
• Acute Toxicity testing requirements in Section A. (1.) and A. (2.) have been updated from
monitoring to a pass/fail limit per the Division's 2020 strategy.
• Outfall 1 has been removed from the permit.
• Section A. (5.)has been updated regarding electronic submission of effluent data. Federal
regulations require electronic submittal of all discharge monitoring reports (DMRs).
• The wastewater treatment components at the facility have been corrected on the Supplement to
Permit Cover Sheet to reflect only those which are used to treat wastewater. Any drinking water
treatment components have been removed.
• The parameter of iron has been removed from Section A. (1.).
• The parameter of hardness has been removed from Section A. (1.).
• A monthly average flow limit has been added to section A. (1.).
Please note that Beaverdam Creek is listed as an impaired waterbody on the North Carolina 303(d)
Impaired Waters List. Addressing impaired waters is a high priority with the Division, and instream
data will continue to be evaluated. If there is noncompliance with permitted effluent limits and stream
impairment can be attributed to your facility, then mitigative measures may be required.
The NPDES standard conditions (Parts II, III, and IV) that are a part of the permit are not included in
this draft document (cover, map, and Part I). The conditions are the same as in your current permit
except that agency and division names have been updated. The latest version is available at
https://bit.ly/3k5NFaL and can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF file.
North Carolina Da43artment of Ens irormiental Quality Division.of Rater Resour.es
D_E ',‘) 512 North Salisbury Street 1617 Mail San•i:a Cantor Ratait North Carolina 2-6PD-161-
O.� el" 919'0 MO

With this notification,the Division will solicit public comment on this draft permit by publishing a
notice in newspapers having circulation in the general Brunswick 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,
S-OAAA. aerel
Sara Bassett
Environmental Specialist I
NPDES Compliance and Expedited Permitting
cc: NPDES files [Laserfiche]
Wilmington Regional Office [Laserfiche]
Operator Certification Program [Laserfiche]
Aquatic Toxicology Branch [Laserfiche]
Division of Marine Fisheries/Shellfish Sanitation

NPDES Permit NC0040061
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 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
County of Brunswick
is hereby authorized to discharge wastewater from a facility located at the
Beaverdam Creek Water Treatment Plant (WTP)
4305 Southport Supply Hwy SE
Brunswick County
to receiving waters designated as Beaverdam Creek within the Cape Fear River Basin in accordance
with effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set forth in Parts I, II, III, and
IV hereof.
The pert modification shall become effective on
This permit and the authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on July 31,2029.
If the permittee intends to continue to discharge at the facility beyond the term of this permit, a renewal
application must be submitted no later than February 1, 2029 (180 days before the expiration of this permit).
Signed this day
John E. Hennessy, Section Chief Regional Operations
Division of Water Resources
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Page 1 of 9

NPDES Permit NC0040061
SUPPLEMENT TO PERMIT COVER SHEET
All previous NPDES Permits issued to this facility, whether for operation or discharge are hereby
revoked, and as of this 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 described herein.
County of Brunswick
is hereby authorized to:
1. continue to operate a conventional technology water treatment plant [coagulation, flocculation,
sedimentation, and filtration] with discharge of wastewaters from media filter backwash and
sedimentation basins with a design potable flowrate of 6.0 MGD and a backwash discharge of
0.150 MGD,with wastewater treatment consisting of;
• five(5)solid settling lagoons
• three (3) sludge-drying beds
for facilities located at the Beaverdam Creek WTP, 4305 Southport Supply Hwy SE, Brunswick
County; and
2. discharge from said treatment works via Outfalls 001 and 002 at the location specified on the
attached map, to Beaverdam Creek [stream segment 18-88-9-1-(0.5)], a waterbody currently
classified SC; Sw; HQW within Subbasin 03-06-17 [HUC: 030300050802] of the Cape Fear
River Basin.
Page 2 of 9

NPDES Permit NC0040061
PART I.
A. (1.) EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
OUTFALLS 001 & 002
[15A NCAC 02B .0400 et seq., 02B .0500 et seq.]
During the period beginning on the effective date of this permit and lasting until expiration, the
Permittee is authorized to discharge only maintenance and inspections wastewater from Outfalls 002
and 003. Such discharges shall be limited, monitored and reported' by the Permittee as specified below:
EFFLUENT CHARACTERISTICS LIMITS MONITORING REQUIREMENTS'
[Parameter Codes] Monthly Daily Measurement Sample Sample
Average Maximum Frequency Type Location
Flow(MGD) 50050 0.150 Per Discharge 2 Effluent
Total Suspended Solids(mg/L) C0530 15 mg/L 20 mg/L Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Total Residual Chlorine 3(µg/L) 50060 13 µg/L 3 Per Discharge Grab Effluent
pH(su) 00400 Not<6.8 nor> 8.5 Per Discharge Grab Effluent
standard units
Turbidity(NTU) 00070 Monitor& Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Total Aluminum(µg/L) 01105 Monitor& Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Total Copper(µg/L) 01042 Monitor&Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Total Zinc(µg/L) 01092 Monitor&Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Total Fluoride(µg/L) 00951 Monitor& Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Total Nitrogen(TN)(mg/L) C0600 Monitor&Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
TKN(mg/L) 00625 Monitor&Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
NO3-N+NO2-N (mg/L) 00630 Monitor& Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Ammonia Nitrogen(mg/L) C0610 Monitor&Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Total Phosphorus(TP)(mg/L) C0665 Monitor&Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
WET Testing,ACUTE 4 TGE3E Monitor&Report Per Discharge Grab Effluent
Footnotes:
1. The Permittee shall begin submitting Discharge Monitoring Reports electronically using NC DWR's eDMR
application system. See Condition A. (5.)for details.
2. Flow—During periods of no flow,the Permittee shall submit a monthly Discharge Monitoring Report(DMR)
indicating"No Flow"or"No discharge." Flow shall be monitored with each discharge event and may be
monitored in one of three ways:
a. measure flow continuously(rate and duration);
b. estimate flow at 20-minute intervals during the entire discharge event;or
c. report flow based on discharge pump logs.
3. The Division shall consider all effluent TRC values reported below 50 µg/L to be in compliance with the
permit. However,the Permittee shall continue to record and submit all values reported by a North Carolina.
4. WET(Whole Effluent Toxicity)Testing; Acute 24-hour Pass/Fail Limit @ 90%effluent concentration using
Mysid Shrimp(Mysidopsis bahia),during the months of January,April,July, and October.Permittee shall use
Page 3 of 9

NPDES Permit NC0040061
myside shrimp as the test organism unless another organism of equal or greater sensitivity is deemed more
appropriate based on the characteristics of the discharge and receiving stream. See Section A. (2.)for details.
Conditions:
• All samples must be collected from a typical discharge event.
• The Permittee shall discharge no floating solids or foam.
Page 4 of 9

NPDES Permit NC004006 1
A. (2.) ACUTE TOXICITY (QUARTERLY) PASS/FAIL LIMIT (QUARTERLY)
[15A NCAC 02B .0500 et seq.] [15A NCAC 02B .0200]
The permittee shall conduct acute toxicity tests on a quarterly basis using protocols defined in the North
Carolina Procedure Document entitled"Pass/Fail Methodology For Determining Acute Toxicity In A
December 0 0 or subsequent versions). The monitoringshall
Single Effluent Concentration"(Revised Dec m 2 1 q )
be P ( Y P Shrimp Mysid performed as a M sido sis bahia) 24-hour static test. The effluent concentration at
which there may be at no time significant acute mortality is 90% (defined as treatment two in the
procedure document). The tests will be performed during the months of January,April,July and
October. These months signify the first month of each three-month toxicity testing quarter assigned to
the facility. Effluent sampling for this testing must be obtained during representative effluent discharge
and shall be performed at the NPDES permitted final effluent discharge below all treatment processes.
Should any single quarterly monitoring indicate a failure to meet specified limits,then monthly
monitoring will begin immediately until such time that a single test is passed. Upon passing, this
monthly test requirement will revert to quarterly in the months specified above.
All toxicity testing results required as part of this permit condition will be entered electronically using
the Division's eDMR system for the month in which it was performed, using the parameter code
TGE3E. Additionally, DWR Form AT-2 (original) is to be sent to the following address:
Attention: North Carolina Division of Water Resources
Water Sciences Section/Aquatic Toxicology Branch
1621 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1621
Or, results can be sent to the email, ATForms.ATB(cdeq.nc.gov
Completed Aquatic Toxicity Test Forms shall be filed with the Water Sciences Section no later than 30
days after the end of the reporting period for which the report is made.
Test data shall be complete, accurate, include all supporting chemical/physical measurements and all
concentration/response data, and be certified by laboratory supervisor and ORC or approved designate
signature.
Total residual chlorine of the effluent toxicity sample must be measured and reported if chlorine is
employed for disinfection of the waste stream.
Should there be no discharge of flow from the facility during a month in which toxicity monitoring is
required, the permittee will complete the information located at the top of the aquatic toxicity (AT) test
form indicating the facility name, permit number, pipe number, county, and the month/year of the report
with the notation of"No Flow" in the comment area of the form. The report shall be submitted to the
Water Sciences Section at the address cited above.
Page 5 of 9

NPDES Permit NC004006 1
Should the permittee fail to monitor during a month in which toxicity monitoring is required, then
monthly monitoring will begin immediately until such time that a single test is passed. Upon passing,
this monthly test requirement will revert to quarterly in the months specified above. Assessment of
toxicity compliance is based on the toxicity testing quarter, which is the three-month time interval that
begins on the first day of the month in which toxicity testing is required by this permit and continues
until the final day of the third month.
Should any test data from either these monitoring requirements or tests performed by the North Carolina
Division of Water Resources indicate potential impacts to the receiving stream,this permit may be re-
opened and modified to include alternate monitoring requirements or limits.
NOTE: Failure to achieve test conditions as specified in the cited document, such as minimum control
organism survival and appropriate environmental controls, shall constitute an invalid test and will
require immediate follow-up testing to be completed no later than the last day of the month following
the month of the initial monitoring.
USE OF A DIFFERENT TEST ORGANISM
The Permittee may request the use of a different test organism upon documentation that the alternate test
organism would provide an equal or greater level of protection and is appropriate based on the
characteristics of the discharge and receiving stream. Such documentation would consist of one of the
following:
1. For saltwater classified streams, a fathead minnow may be assigned as the acute testing species if
the salinity of the receiving stream at the point of discharge is<5 ppt throughout the tidally
influenced cycle. This determination may be based on the best professional judgment of DWR
staff or data collection provided by the Permittee and approved by DWR staff. This evaluation
should include vertical profiles of salinity/conductivity measurements at both high tide and low
tide over several 24 hr cycles.
2. Three consecutive "side-by-side"tests with results indicatingthat the alternate test organism is
Y g
as or more sensitive to the facility's effluent. Each test series would consist of two separate
toxicity tests conducted on the same sample of effluent with the length of exposure specified by
the permit, the only difference between the tests being the organism used.
3. An alternate plan developed by the Permittee and approved by the Aquatic Toxicology Branch
that demonstrates an equal level of protection is offered by the test organism.
For items 2 and 3, it must also be demonstrated that viable and standardized culture techniques are
available for that organism and standardized testing methodologies have been developed and validated.
This demonstration should meet guidance provided by EPA in Section 6 of EPA-821-R-02-012, Short
Term Methods for Estimating the Acute Toxicity of Effluents and Receiving Waters to Freshwater
Organisms, Fifth Edition, 2002. Requests to use a different test organism and supporting documentation
should be sent to NC DWR, Water Sciences Section/Aquatic Toxicology Branch at the address listed
above.
A. (3.) PERMIT RE-OPERNER: ADJUST WET-TEST SPECIES
[G.S. 143-215.1(b)]
Page 6 of 9

NPDES Permit NC0040061
The Division may reopen this permit to alter or replace Whole Effluent Toxicity(WET) test procedures
or test species as future regulations, environmental conditions, or site conditions may warrant.
A. (4.) PERMIT RE-OPENER: TMDL IMPLEMENTATION
[G.S. 143-215.1(b)]
The Division may,upon written notification to the Permittee, re-open this permit in order to incorporate
or modify effluent limits, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other permit conditions when it
deems such action is necessary to implement TMDL(s) approved by the USEPA.
A. (5.) 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.) (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. 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
Page 7 of 9

NPDES Permit NC0040061
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
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-di scharge-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
Page 8 of 9

NPDES Permit
NC004006 1
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
4. Signatory Requirements [Supplements Section B. (11.) (b) and Supersedes Section B. (11.) (d)1
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 9 of 9

y Southport Supply HWY ,
SE ) tr.
Q't,
I.
c
Z.
_ _ zit 1``�•..., w Approximate
Property
+1—*--""%+r,.., Perimeter
Outfall 001it ...
'
asR
Latitude: * i --____
I
. 3 "N / i
Longitude: i
78°04'59.9"W i
i i
i
I
I
Outfall 002
Q,
Latitude: L,t Arbor Creek Drive SE
33°57'33.1"N t .E-N
Longitude: i1
78°04'59.2"W o `'`.
ii
e<
L�
.
/
Beaverdam Creek
SC; Sw; HQW
(flows south)
(\C."
4' T G
Brunswick County Public Utilities Facility
Beaverdam Creek WTP Location
[not to scale]
Stream Class: SC;SW;HQW
Sub-Basin: 03-06-17
HUC: 030300050802 N P D ES Permit NC0040061
Drainage Basin: Cape Fear River Basin North
G Z}
Receiving Stream: Beaverdam Creek[stream segment 18-88-9-1-(0.5)] Brunswick County