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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNC0006548_LV20150195 Remission Request_20151015WAYNE FARMS LLC 4110 Continental Drive, Oakwood, Georgia 30566, Building B (770) 538-2120 October 15, 2015 North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Department of Water Quality - NPDES 1617 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1617 Re: Case Nos.: LV -2015-0195 & LV -2015-0197 Notice of Violation and Assessment of Civil Penalty for Violations of North Carolina General Statute (G.S. 143-215.1(a)(6) and NPDES Permit No. NC0006548 Wayne Farms LLC Dobson (Surry County), North Carolina To Whom it May Concern: Please find enclosed the completed documents in support of Wayne Farms' Request for Remission of the above -referenced Notices of Violation. We appreciate your attention to this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions at (770)297-3471, or if you wish to further discuss. cerely, Russell G. Dickson, PE Director of Engineering Wayne Farms LLC Enc. cc: Mr. Corey Basinger — NCDENR Winston-Salem Regional Office Mr. Brad DeVore — Womble Carlyle Mr. Clint Rivers Ms. Barbara Mistarz Mr. Jeremy Bowlin Mr. Paul Nordin Mr. Rob Poindexter Mr. Michael Crump Mr. Jeff Carroll File RECEIVEDIDENRIDWR OCT 19 2015 Water Quality Permitting Sectior STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES COUNTY OF SURRY REQUEST FOR REMISSION IN THE MATTER OF ASSESSMENT ) WAIVER OF RIGHT TO AN OF CIVIL PENALTIES AGAINST ) ADMINSTRATIVE HEARING AND STIPULATION OF FACTS Wayne Farms Dobson Plant ) PERMIT NO. NCO006548 ) FILE NO. LV -2015-0195 Having been assessed civil penalties totaling $757.50 for violation(s) as set forth in the assessment document of the Division of Water Resources dated September 14, 2015, the undersigned, desiring to seek remission of the civil penalty, does hereby waive the right to an administrative hearing in the above -stated matter and does stipulate that the facts are as alleged in the assessment document. The undersigned further understands that all evidence presented in support of remission of this civil penalty must be submitted to the director of the Division of Water Resources within thirty (30) days of receipt of the notice of assessment. No new evidence in support of a remission request will be allowed after (30) days from the receipt of the notice of assessment. This the LS th day of W to e.r 20 SIGNATURE ADDRESS tAfa yq (f, r rn q 1 10 C0nfinPnf01- ,rive wl0,3119=11, , . G 1 TELEPHONE 170-S3 9 - Q 140 JUSTIFICATION FOR REMISSION REOUIEST DWQ Case Number: LV -2015-0195 County: Surry Assessed Party: Wayne Farms Dobson Plant WWTP Permit No. NC0006548: Amount Assessed: $ 757.50 Please use this form when requesting remission of this civil penalty. You must also complete the "Request For Remission. Waiver of Richt to an Administrative Hearing and Stoulation of Facts" form to request remission of this civil penalty. You should attach any documents that you believe support your request and are necessary for the Director to consider in evaluating your request for remission. Please be aware that a request for remission is limited to consideration of the five factors listed below as they may relate to the reasonableness of the amount of the civil penalty assessed. Requesting remission is not the proper procedure for contesting whether the violation(s) occurred or the accuracy of any of the factual statements contained in the civil penalty assessment document. Pursuant to N.C.G,S. § 1438-282.1(c), remission of a civil penalty may be granted only when one or more of the following five factors applies. Please check each factor that you believe applies to your case and provide a detailed explanation, including copies of supporting documents, as to why the factor applies (attach additional pages as needed). (a) one or more of the civil penalty assessment factors in N.C.G.S. 143B-282. I(b) were wrongfully applied to the detriment of the petitioner (the assessment factors are listed in the civil penalty assessment document); (b) the violator promptly abated continuing environmental damage resulting from the violation (i.e., explain the steps that you took to correct the violation and prevent f rture occurrences); (c) the violation was inadvertent or a result of an accident (i.e., explain why the violation was unavoidable or something you could not prevent or prepare for); (d) the violator had not been assessed civil penalties for any previous violations; (e) payment of the civil penalty will prevent payment for the remaining necessary remedial actions (i. e., explain how payment of the civil penalty will prevent you from performing the activities necessary to achieve compliance). EXPLANATION: With respect to factors relevant to (b) and (c)--- Wayne Farms has worked promptly and diligently to investigate and remedy the cause(s) of the permit exceedances set out in the Notice of Violation, Case No. LV -2015-0195 (NOV). Wayne Farms had recently replaced portions of its treatment system with some new equipment it had used with success at certain of its other facilities. Thus, Wayne Farms anticipated a smooth transition to the use of that new equipment. However, that did not appear to be the case and Wayne Farms quickly sought to determine whether that system was working properly or required adjustment and/or replacement. That effort included the retention of experts in the field to work with the equipment supplier and otherwise assist Wayne Farms to identify the causative factor(s) of the exceedances set out in the NOV and to develop solutions. That work has revealed the need to make additional treatment system adjustments, including the installation of new equipment. Those system changes have been designed and Wayne Farms has developed a schedule to install and start up that new equipment in the nearfuture. Wayne Farms could not have anticipated, and thus avoided, that equipment that worked at certain of its other facilities would fail to do so at the Dobson, North Carolina plant. Wayne Farms has cooperated with and has been in constant communication with the NC DEQ Winston-Salem Regional Office ("WRO") concerning the situation and the proposed solutions. As a consequence, Wayne Farms anticipates entering into a settlement agreement with the WRO to address this NOV and set a schedule for the installation and start-up of the aforementioned new equipment as part of an ongoing,effort to address the exceedances set out in the NOV and to attempt to prevent their recurrence in the future.