NCG020922_WiRO Response North River Club Mine_20171214

Georgoulias, Bethany
From:Lambe, Brian
Sent:Thursday, December 14, 2017 11:07 AM
To:Sams, Dan
Cc:Georgoulias, Bethany
Subject:RE: Request for Comments - North River Club Mine
Attachments:wading creek.xps
The surface water classification for Wading Creek which flows between the two mines is SA, HQW. This is not outlined
in their application. I would venture to say they do need a O&M any time they are pumping to set forth rules to live
by. Additionally, the haul road probably should be considered impervious.

Brian Lambe
Environmental Specialist
910-796-7314
State of North Carolina | Environmental Quality | Energy, Mineral and Land Resources
127 Cardinal Drive Extension | Wilmington, NC 28405
910 796 7215 T | 910 350 2004 F | http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/lr/

From: Sams, Dan
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 2:52 PM
To: Lambe, Brian <[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: Request for Comments - North River Club Mine

Brian:

Do you know this mining operation?

dan

Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources – Land Quality Section
Department of Environmental Quality

910-796-7215
[e-mail]

E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be
disclosed to third parties.

From: Georgoulias, Bethany
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 2:50 PM
To: Sams, Dan <[e-mail]>
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Cc: Lucas, Annette <[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: Request for Comments - North River Club Mine

Dan,

I need some input from the WiRO on whether this proposed mining operation requires a pumping O&M Plan for a pit
that is 320’ from wetlands in Carteret County. Please see the link to the application materials in Laserfiche below (sent
9/29), and my recent request for additional information to the applicant below that (sent today). What does the WiRO
advise?

Thanks,
Bethany

Bethany Georgoulias
Environmental Engineer
Stormwater Program, Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality

919 807 6372 office
[e-mail]

1612 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612 (mailing)
512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27604 (location)
Website: http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/energy-mineral-land-resources/stormwater

Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records
Law and may be disclosed to third parties.

From: [e-mail] \[mailto:[e-mail]\]
Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2017 10:37 AM
To: Sams, Dan <[e-mail]>
Cc: Alexander, Laura <[e-mail]>; Georgoulias, Bethany <[e-mail]>
Subject: Request for Comments -

A General Permit application or additional information was received on 9/29/2017 for in Carteret County. The assigned
Permit Number is NCG020922.

The information for the above project can be found here:
https://edocs.deq.nc.gov/Stormwater/Browse.aspx?dbid=0&startid=605375.

For General Permit NOI applications, please advise the assigned Central Office reviewer, Bethany Georgoulias, of any
comments or objections to issuing general permit coverage to this facility no later than 30 days from now.

This email was automatically generated by Laserfiche workflow as a courtesy. Please do not respond to this email
address, as responses aren’t monitored.

From: Georgoulias, Bethany
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 2:45 PM
To: 'Dave Gambardella' <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: \[External\] RE: NCG020922 Renewal Inquiry
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Dave,

Yes, there is a need for a dewatering NPDES permit in this case. Any potential to discharge of wastewater, even if it
would be rare, triggers the requirement for an NPDES permit. In this case there is also dewatering near wetlands, which
needs to be addressed in a Pumping Operation Monitoring Plan.

We will need additional information for this application:
 On the last page of the NOI, there is a check next to “2 copies of large scale (minimum 24” x 36”) site plan with
topographic lines with all outfalls…”; however, no site plans were included. Please provide a site plan, and
include the location where overflows would occur from the pond in a very large event – this will be the most
appropriate outfall point for mine dewatering water.
 A line drawing water flow through the facility or block flow diagram. (No drawing was included, and this item
was not checked). This information can be included on the site plan.
 The Wastewater Treatment Alternatives section of the NOI (Question 38) needs to be completed for mine
dewatering discharges. Please revise this section of the NOI application.
 The NOI application indicates that wetlands are 320’ from the mine pit. However, the last page of the NOI only
has a check next to the statement that indicates the operation will not impact any nearby wetlands, instead of
any information about a Pumping O&M Plan. Did you verify with the Wilmington Regional Office that a
Pumping O&M Plan was not necessary? Who was the RO contact? I will request input from the WiRO
specifically on this item before issuing the permit, so please be aware that if it is required, the POM Plan must be
approved by the RO before operation can begin.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Bethany Georgoulias
Environmental Engineer
Stormwater Program, Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality

919 807 6372 office
[e-mail]

1612 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612 (mailing)
512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27604 (location)
Website: http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/energy-mineral-land-resources/stormwater

Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records
Law and may be disclosed to third parties.

From: Dave Gambardella \[mailto:[e-mail]\]
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2017 2:26 PM
To: Georgoulias, Bethany <[e-mail]>; Lucas, Annette <[e-mail]>
Cc: Sams, Dan <[e-mail]>
Subject: \[External\] RE: NCG020922 Renewal Inquiry

CAUTION: External email. Do not click links or open attachments unless verified. Send all suspicious email as an attachment to
[e-mail].

Hey Bethany
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Please see below answers to questions in red.

From: Georgoulias, Bethany \[mailto:[e-mail]\]
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2017 1:26 PM
To: Lucas, Annette <[e-mail]>
Cc: Dave Gambardella <[e-mail]>; Sams, Dan <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: NCG020922 Renewal Inquiry

Thanks, Annette. I just issued two COCs ahead of this one yesterday, and I am working on this and another one this
st
week. The request to the region for comments went out Nov 1, so their 30 day window for input just concluded. To
date I’ve not received any feedback from the Wilmington Regional Office on the proposed North River Club mine.

I do notice that no outfall locations were submitted on the NOI application, and it said that dewatering would be
directed to the adjacent property’s mine basin. There will still be an outfall point where samples are taken, however,
and we’ll need to know that (and latitude/longitude coordinates). Dave, can you please provide that information? The
application indicates that the mine settling pond will overflow in events exceeding the 10-year, 24-hour event, so there
appears to be a potential for wastewater discharge. The previous permit directed all discharge north via a culvert to the
Beaufort Club/North River club golf course irrigation ponds, which would then be used to irrigate the golf course.
Ultimately the goal is to dewater south into the adjacent Simpson mine basin by pump, but we would leave the culvert
in place in case a 10 year, 24 hour event occurred which would then direct water north into the existing irrigation ponds
for the golf course.

Also, where will stormwater be discharged? Or will it all drain to the pit that will then be dewatered? There is only a
topo map and a picture of the property with mine acreage marked. There is no diagram of where treatment devices or
outfall points are located. The stormwater will drain to the pit which will then be dewatered.

If the situation here results in no discharge at all (is that what discharge to the neighboring basin attempts to achieve?),
then we need a better understanding of what the discharge permit is for. Typically we would require sampling at the
point it leaves the mine property to report parameters. If the actual outfall is beyond the property (this is occasionally
the case), then we need to understand exactly where, and where the surface waters are. The goal is not to have any
discharge at all, but I understand that based upon the a sizeable rain event this may not be the case. The Simpson Family
Properties Permit plans showed a potential discharge point that was never used (the mine basin was sectioned off and
dewatered into each section as mining occurred). Would I specify this as the discharge or the culvert draining north to
the golf course irrigation ponds. Or should I specify both discharge points.

Also, I note the application checks “Yes” next to the dewatering being near wetlands or other waterbodies, but there is
no delineation on any site plan of where those are. And, the wastewater treatment alternatives review has been left
uncompleted with a note that says “NO DISCHARGE.” We cannot issue a discharge permit without this review (it is
required by our rules), and I am also unclear about the need for an NPDES discharge permit if the application is asserting
no discharge. This is a point of confusion I need to understand better. I was told by one engineer that based upon the
amount of dewatering needed to dig the Beaufort Club mine that we would need a dewatering permit, regardless of
there being no discharge. But if we do not need the permit renewed then I would be fine with that. Its been about 10
years since I permitted a sand mine.

Dave, please follow up with me on this when you are able to.

Thanks,

Bethany Georgoulias
Environmental Engineer
Stormwater Program, Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality
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919 807 6372 office
[e-mail]

1612 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612 (mailing)
512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27604 (location)
Website: http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/energy-mineral-land-resources/stormwater

Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records
Law and may be disclosed to third parties.

From: Lucas, Annette
Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2017 10:28 AM
To: Georgoulias, Bethany <[e-mail]>
Cc: Dave Gambardella <[e-mail]>
Subject: NCG020922 Renewal Inquiry

Georgoulias Bethany Mining Activities Stormwater Discharge COC New Project NCG020922 North River Club 09-29-2017 Wilmington

Hi Bethany,

I just got a call from Mr. Gambardella inquiring as to the status of his application for the above project. I explained
about our backlog and agreed to send you an email and copy him so that you two would have each other’s contact
information in case you need to talk with him during the review. Thanks so much!

Annette

Annette Lucas, PE
Stormwater Program Supervisor
Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources
Department of Environmental Quality

919 807-6381 office
[e-mail]

https://deq.nc.gov/sw-bmp-manual

512 N. Salisbury Street, Office 942-V, Raleigh, NC 27604
1612 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1612

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