HomeMy WebLinkAboutNC0050342_More Information Requested_20180507 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
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CERTIFIED MAIL 7017 1450 0000 7973 3172
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
RECEIVED/DENRIDINR
Ms. Courtney Driver
Utilities Director MAY fl 4 2018
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utility Commission Water Resources
101 North Main Street Permitting Section
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101
Re: Information Request—Section 308 of the Clean Water Act
NPDES Permit Nos. NC0037834 and NC0050342
Winston-Salem Elledge Creek and Muddy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plants
Dear Ms. Driver:
Pursuant to Section 308 of the Clean Water Act(CWA), 33 U.S.C. § 1318, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency hereby requests the Winston Salem-Forsyth County Utility
Commission (the Commission) to provide the information set forth in Enclosure A regarding the
facilities noted above and their associated sanitary sewer collection systems. The Commission is
required to respond to this information request within 30 days of its receipt of this letter. The
response should be directed to:
Ms. Sara Janovitz
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4
NPDES Permitting and Enforcement Branch
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-8960
The EPA is issuing this information request to determine the Commission's progress in
developing and implementing written Management, Operations, and Maintenance programs and
rehabilitation of the Wastewater Collection and Transmission System as described in the Notice
of Violation issued to the Commission on April 9, 2015.
The Commission's response to this information request should specifically reference the
particular section and number of the request and should be organized for the purpose of clarity.
In addition, all information submitted must be accompanied by the following certification signed
by a responsible Commission official in accordance with 40 C.F.R. § 122.22:
"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
Internet Address(URL)•http://www.epa.gov
Recycled/Recyclable•Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on Recycled Paper(Minimum 30%Postconsumer)
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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 fine and
imprisonment for knowing violations."
Failure to comply with this information request may result in enforcement proceedings under
Section 309 of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. § 1319, which could result in the judicial imposition of civil
or criminal penalties or the administrative imposition of civil penalties. In addition, there is
potential criminal liability for the falsification of any response to the requested information.
The Commission shall preserve until further notice all records (either written or electronic)
which exist at the time of receipt of this letter that relate to any of the matters set forth in this
letter. The term "records" shall be interpreted in the broadest sense to include information of
every sort. The response to this information request shall include assurance that these record
protection provisions were put in place, as required. No such records shall be disposed of until
written authorization is received from the Chief of the NPDES Permitting and Enforcement
Branch at the U.S. EPA, Region 4.
If you believe that any of the requested information constitutes confidential business
information, you may assert a confidentiality claim with respect to such information except for
effluent data. Further details, including how to make a business confidentiality claim, are found
in Enclosure B.
Also enclosed is a document entitled U.S. EPA Small Business Resources-Information Sheet
which may assist you in understanding the compliance assistance resources and tools available.
However, any decision to seek compliance assistance at this time does not relieve the
Commission of its obligations to EPA or the State of North Carolina, does not create any new
rights or defenses, and will not affect EPA's decision to pursue enforcement action.
If you have questions regarding this notice and information request,please feel free to contact
Ms. Sara Janovitz at (404) 562-9870.
Sincerely,
/ 1
aniel J. O'Lone, A cting Chief
NPDES Permitting and Enforcement Branch
Water Protection Division
Enclosures (3)
cc: Mr. Jeff Poupart
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
ENCLOSURE A
SSO PROGRAM
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utility Commission,NC
1. Provide the following:
a. The size of the Commission's Sanitary Sewer Collection System(SSS) (linear
feet or miles);
b. A list of the pump stations in the SSS, including size(gpm), and indicate if back
up power is available and if it is adequate to fully operate the pump station;
c. A list of all constructed overflow points (any unpermitted constructed discharge
points) in the SSS (including pump stations)prior to the headworks of the
Commission's WWTPs;
d. The average design flow of the Commission's WWTPs;
e. The peak design flow of the Commission's WWTPs;
f. The annual average flow of the Commission's WWTPs; and
g. The population served by the Commission's WWTPs and their respective SSS.
2. For purposes of this Information Request, a sanitary sewer overflow(S SO) is an
overflow, spill,release, or diversion of wastewater from the SSS. SSOs include overflows
or releases of wastewater that reach waters of the United States (U.S.); overflows or
releases of wastewater that do not reach waters of the U.S.; and wastewater backups into
buildings that are caused by blockages or flow conditions in a sanitary sewer other than a
building lateral. Wastewater backups into buildings caused by a blockage or other
malfunction of a building lateral that is privately owned is not an SSO.
Provide a listing of all SSOs that occurred from September 2014 to the present. For each
SSO provide the following:
a. Date(s) of the SSO;
b. Time (and Date if other than a. above) when the Commission was notified that the
SSO event occurred;
c. Time (and Date if other than a. above)when the Commission(or contractor) crew
responded to the SSO;
d. Time (and Date if other than a. above)when the SSO ceased;
e. Time (and Date if other than a. above)when corrective action was completed;
f. Location of the SSO, including source(pump station, manhole, etc.);
g. Ultimate destination of the SSO, such as surface waterbody(by name, if
available), storm drain leading to surface waterbody (by name, if available), dry
land, building, etc.;
h. Volume of the SSO;
i. Cause of the SSO such as grease,roots, other blockages, wet weather(infiltration
and inflow), loss of power at pump station,pump failure, etc.;
j. Corrective actions taken to stop the SSO; and
k. Corrective actions taken to prevent this or similar SSOs in the future.
If available,please provide the above information in a Microsoft compatible spreadsheet
format.
3. If the Commission has a formal written plan for responding to, addressing, and reporting
SSOs (i.e., a Sewer Overflow Response Plan("SORP")), provide a copy of the plan.
4. Provide a copy of any additional Commission procedures not included in the SORP (as
referenced in Question 3 above) for the following activities:
a. Documenting SSOs;
b. Estimating SSO volume;
c. Identifying root causes of SSOs;
d. Containment and clean-up of SSOs, including any specific procedures addressing
backups into buildings caused by mainline problems;
e. Identifying wet weather related SSOs and reconnaissance of these during rain
events; and
f. All reporting of SSOs 7.o the permitting authority,the State of North Carolina.
5. Provide the name of the person(or position title) responsible for each of the activities
identified in the Commission's SORP and/or listed in Question 4 above.