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Home My WebLink AboutNC0004405_TA_20180802 North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality  Division of Water Resources 2090 US 70 Highway, Swannanoa, NC 28778 828.296.4500 August 2, 2018 Ms. Lynne Vasquez Board of Directors, Chairman Cliffside Sanitary District PO Box 122 Cliffside, NC 28024 Subject: Technical Assistance Inspection Cliffside Sanitary District WWTP Permit No. NC0004405 Rutherford County, NC Dear Ms. Vasquez, Personnel with the North Carolina Division of Water Resources (DWR) Asheville Regional Office (ARO) conducted a Technical Assistance Inspection of the Cliffside Sanitary District’s WWTP on July 9, 2018. This inspection was conducted at the request of Ms. Juanita James, with James and James Environmental. Inspectors were onsite to assess the status of the facility and offer regulatory oversite and assistance. A summary of our recommendations based on observations are listed below.  Evaluate and address the significant collection system deficiencies (i.e. excessive I&I, missing manhole covers, lift station operability).  Essential treatment components should be brought back to operational status (see inspection summary for specific notes).  Explore feasibility of installing a package plant (due to significantly reduced flow). Reference 2010 TA for additional modification options.  Consider an interconnect with a neighboring Municipality after addressing causes of I&I within the collection system. DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A Please refer to the enclosed inspection report for detailed observations and recommendations. The attached TA is not an exhaustive list of modification and operational options, but should be used as guidance in determining a long-term solution. It is ultimately up to Cliffside Sanitary District to decide on the most feasible path forward to address the current collection system and wastewater treatment plant deficiencies to maintain permit compliance. Our office will be in contact to schedule a collection system inspection soon to further assess system compliance. The assistance of Ms. Juanita James and James Lanstra with James and James Environmental was appreciated. Should you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 828-296-4686 or by email at mikal.willmer@ncdenr.gov. Sincerely, Mikal Willmer, Environmental Specialist Water Quality Regional Operations Section Asheville Regional Office Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ Enclosure: Inspection Report EC: WQS-ARO Server LF Juanita James, ORC Lynne Vasquez, Cliffside 20180802_NC0004405_TA DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Water Compliance Inspection Report Form Approved. OMB No. 2040-0057 Approval expires 8-31-98 Section A: National Data System Coding (i.e., PCS) Transaction Code NPDES yr/mo/day Inspection Type Inspector Fac Type 1 N 52 NC0004405 18/07/09 D S31112171819 20 21 66 Inspection Work Days Facility Self-Monitoring Evaluation Rating B1 QA ----------------------Reserved------------------- N67707172 73 74 75 80 Section B: Facility Data Name and Location of Facility Inspected (For Industrial Users discharging to POTW, also include POTW name and NPDES permit Number) Cliffside Sanitary District WWTP 136 Hawkins Loop Rd Mooresboro NC 28114 Entry Time/Date Permit Effective Date Exit Time/Date Permit Expiration Date 12:00PM 18/07/09 14/12/01 Name(s) of Onsite Representative(s)/Titles(s)/Phone and Fax Number(s) /// Other Facility Data 02:00PM 18/07/09 19/11/30 Name, Address of Responsible Official/Title/Phone and Fax Number Greg Blake,PO Box 427 Cliffside NC 28024//828-657-7011/Contacted Yes Section C: Areas Evaluated During Inspection (Check only those areas evaluated) Permit Flow Measurement Operations & Maintenance Records/Reports Self-Monitoring Program Sludge Handling Disposal Facility Site Review Pretreatment Effluent/Receiving Waters Section D: Summary of Finding/Comments (Attach additional sheets of narrative and checklists as necessary) (See attachment summary) Name(s) and Signature(s) of Inspector(s)Agency/Office/Phone and Fax Numbers Date Daniel J Boss ARO WQ//828-296-4658/ Mikal Willmer Division of Water Quality//828-296-4686/ Signature of Management Q A Reviewer Agency/Office/Phone and Fax Numbers Date EPA Form 3560-3 (Rev 9-94) Previous editions are obsolete. Page#1 DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A 8/2/2018 8/2/2018 8/2/2018 NPDES yr/mo/day 18/07/09 Inspection Type D3111218 1 Section D: Summary of Finding/Comments (Attach additional sheets of narrative and checklists as necessary) Inspectors Mikal Willmer and Dan Boss, with the Asheville Regional Office, conducted a Technical Assistance Inspection of the Cliffside Sanitary District's WWTP on July 9,2018. This inspection was conducted at the request of Ms. Juanita James, with James and James. Juanita James and James Lanstra were present and assisted during the inspection. Inspectors were on-site to assess the current status of the facility and offer regulatory oversite and assistance moving forward. It should be noted inspectors did not collect samples or assess field parameters. The facility was in need of significant repairs and many of the treatment components were not fully functional. Observations and recommendations are detailed within the inspection report and the summary below. James and James Environmental took over operations on July 9, 2018. Vegetation around the facility appeared to have been recently mowed. At the time of the inspection, facility components were accessible; however, influent location into the facility was unknown. Ms. James has continued to dye the facility to determine flow path and identify operational components. Influent LS: Little flow coming into the facility during the TA. Ms. James reported only one pump was on in the LS and is being further assessed. Grit Chamber/Rapid Mixer: Facility does not appear to have standard grit chamber. This unit was originally designed as a rapid mixer for pH adjustment. It doesn't appear the mixer in the tank has been used recently. Water appeared to be septic. Aeration is recommended to reduce BOD loading into the Aeration Basin. Aeration Basin: 7.7 MGD Aeration Basin originally designed with 13 floating aerators. Only one was operational at the time of the inspection. During the last several inspections, it was reported the facility was being operated as a facultative lagoon. Operating the basin in this manner makes it difficult to adequately reduce BOD/TSS. Without additional aeration, the facility may continue to struggle to meet 85% removal required by the current permit. The facility would not meet concentration based limits for BOD & TSS under current operating conditions. The ARO encourages James and James to continue rehabilitating the aerators to provide adequate mixing throughout the lagoon and reassess run times and operation as DO levels within the Basin improve. Secondary Clarifiers: One clarifier is not in operation and the other is not completely functional. Ms. James reported the rake arm is broken and inspectors noted the feed well is not level. Could not evaluate the level of the weirs, due to excessive vegetation growing throughout the clarifier. RAS/WAS Pumps: Operational capability of the pumps was unknown at the time of the inspection. Continue to assess sludge return lines/pumps and determine discharge location into the AB. Flocculation Tank: No longer in service. Tertiary Filters: AquaDisk filters are no longer in use. Disinfection/Chlorine Contact/Reaeration Tank: Current set up is batch chlorine tablet feed before the contact chamber. James and James should assess the effectiveness of the current dosing system and aeration time. At the time of the inspection, significant algae was growing within the contact basin. Organic material should be removed as soon as practical. Organic material exerts a significant chlorine demand and may reduce or eliminate the effectiveness of the chlorine being fed into the NC0004405 17 (Cont.) Page#2 DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A Permit:NC0004405 Inspection Date:07/09/2018 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Cliffside Sanitary District WWTP Technical Assistance system. Dechlorination: Ms. James reported dechlor is added in the sampling chamber before the effluent is discharged. Assess whether there is adequate distribution of dechlor agent across the flow of water and determine if there is adequate separation before the sampling point. Additional items of note. There did not appear to be stand-by power at this facility. Average flow into the facility is minimal. The facility does see significant flow surges due to excessive I&I within the collection system. Repairs to the collection system should begin as soon as possible. This would reduce major flow increases and allow for Cliffside and Operators to assess normal influent flow composition and operating conditions. Essential treatment components should be brought back to operational status. This includes repairing the mixer (if needed) for initial aeration, repairing several more aerators to allow for adequate mixing and aeration within the basin, removing vegetation from the Basin, repair the rake arm, feed well and level the weirs as needed within the clarifiers and remove vegetation from the effluent troughs, ensure WAS/RAS pumps are operational, remove any solids build up, algae and vegetation from the re-aeration basin and determine the effectiveness of the current chlorine and dechlorination system. Once primary and secondary treatment components are brought back into service, Cliffside will be better equipped to determine the operational efficiency and capability of the current facility and decide on long-term plans and/or goals for the WWTP. Please refer to the 2010 TA for additional repair/repurposing options. Depending on budget and the Districts long-term plans, Inspectors also discussed with Ms. James potential installation of a package plant (due to low flows) and converting the AB into an EQ Basin. An interconnect with a neighboring municipality should also be considered after I&I within the collection system is addressed. Page#3 DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A Permit:NC0004405 Inspection Date:07/09/2018 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Cliffside Sanitary District WWTP Technical Assistance Operations & Maintenance Yes No NA NE Is the plant generally clean with acceptable housekeeping? Does the facility analyze process control parameters, for ex: MLSS, MCRT, Settleable Solids, pH, DO, Sludge Judge, and other that are applicable? James & James Environmental recently took over operational responsibiilty of the facility. Ms. Juanita James requested this inspection as technical assistance. James and James is in the process of locating and repairing equipment throughout the facility. Grounds were recently mowed; however, significant vegetation was observed in several of the treatment units. Many components were not operational, did not appear operational or their operational status/location was unknown. Comment: Permit Yes No NA NE (If the present permit expires in 6 months or less). Has the permittee submitted a new application? Is the facility as described in the permit? # Are there any special conditions for the permit? Is access to the plant site restricted to the general public? Is the inspector granted access to all areas for inspection? Sulfuric Acid tank does not appear to have addtitional containment. Aeration basin was designed with 13 surface aerators, as of 7/12/2018 two are operational. Chlorine contact and dechlorination setup and feed system needs to be verified. Comment: Influent Sampling Yes No NA NE # Is composite sampling flow proportional? Is sample collected above side streams? Is proper volume collected? Is the tubing clean? # Is proper temperature set for sample storage (kept at less than or equal to 6.0 degrees Celsius)? Is sampling performed according to the permit? influent lift station appears to have a portable sampler (from photos). This site was not visited during the inspection. Monitoring data is being reported on the DMRs. Comment: Pump Station - Influent Yes No NA NE Is the pump wet well free of bypass lines or structures? Is the wet well free of excessive grease? Are all pumps present? Are all pumps operable? Page#4 DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A Permit:NC0004405 Inspection Date:07/09/2018 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Cliffside Sanitary District WWTP Technical Assistance Pump Station - Influent Yes No NA NE Are float controls operable? Is SCADA telemetry available and operational? Is audible and visual alarm available and operational? Ms. James reports only one pump is currently running in the influent lift station.Comment: Grit Removal Yes No NA NE Type of grit removal a.Manual b.Mechanical Is the grit free of excessive organic matter? Is the grit free of excessive odor? # Is disposal of grit in compliance? Chamber was originally designed as a rapid mixer for pH adjustment. Grit chamber/mixer appears to be septic due to low flow conditions and lack of aeration/mixing. Comment: Aeration Basins Yes No NA NE Mode of operation Ext. Air Type of aeration system Surface Is the basin free of dead spots? Are surface aerators and mixers operational? Are the diffusers operational? Is the foam the proper color for the treatment process? Does the foam cover less than 25% of the basin’s surface? Is the DO level acceptable? Is the DO level acceptable?(1.0 to 3.0 mg/l) 7.7 MGD aeration basin, designed with 13 aerators. Only two are currently in operation. Plant has been operated in recent years as a lagoon system. Current configuration and aeration does not allow for adequate mixing and oxgyen distribution throughout the basin. Comment: Secondary Clarifier Yes No NA NE Is the clarifier free of black and odorous wastewater? Is the site free of excessive buildup of solids in center well of circular clarifier? Are weirs level? Is the site free of weir blockage? Is the site free of evidence of short-circuiting? Page#5 DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A Permit:NC0004405 Inspection Date:07/09/2018 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Cliffside Sanitary District WWTP Technical Assistance Secondary Clarifier Yes No NA NE Is scum removal adequate? Is the site free of excessive floating sludge? Is the drive unit operational? Is the return rate acceptable (low turbulence)? Is the overflow clear of excessive solids/pin floc? Is the sludge blanket level acceptable? (Approximately ¼ of the sidewall depth) One clarifier is not in operation and the clarifier in use is in need of repairs. Vegetation, algae, and duckweed are growing throughout the clarifier. With vegetation and minimal flow, unable to determine if the weirs are level. Ms. James reports the rake arm is broken and the feed well is not level. Comment: Pumps-RAS-WAS Yes No NA NE Are pumps in place? Are pumps operational? Are there adequate spare parts and supplies on site? Sludge return pumps were present, but appeared to be in the off position. One pump appeared to be set to manual operation. At the time of the inspection unable to determine if these were operable. Comment: Filtration (High Rate Tertiary)Yes No NA NE Type of operation: Is the filter media present? Is the filter surface free of clogging? Is the filter free of growth? Is the air scour operational? Is the scouring acceptable? Is the clear well free of excessive solids and filter media? Aqua disk filters are onsite, but are not in use.Comment: Disinfection-Tablet Yes No NA NE Are tablet chlorinators operational? Are the tablets the proper size and type? Number of tubes in use? Is the level of chlorine residual acceptable? Is the contact chamber free of growth, or sludge buildup? Page#6 DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A Permit:NC0004405 Inspection Date:07/09/2018 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Cliffside Sanitary District WWTP Technical Assistance Disinfection-Tablet Yes No NA NE Is there chlorine residual prior to de-chlorination? System appeared to be a batch tablet feed system; however, could not determine if unit is operational. Comment: De-chlorination Yes No NA NE Type of system ? Is the feed ratio proportional to chlorine amount (1 to 1)? Is storage appropriate for cylinders? # Is de-chlorination substance stored away from chlorine containers? Are the tablets the proper size and type? Could not determine if dechlorination unit is operational.Comment: Are tablet de-chlorinators operational? Number of tubes in use? Batch system, not standard tablet feed system. Ms. James reported the dechlorination is fed into the effluent sampling chamber. Comment: Aerobic Digester Yes No NA NE Is the capacity adequate? Is the mixing adequate? Is the site free of excessive foaming in the tank? # Is the odor acceptable? # Is tankage available for properly waste sludge? Two 0.5 MGD aerobic digestors onsite. One is in use, but could not determine if sludge is present (appeared to be rain water and duckweed). The other digestor is empty. Comment: Flow Measurement - Effluent Yes No NA NE # Is flow meter used for reporting? Is flow meter calibrated annually? Is the flow meter operational? (If units are separated) Does the chart recorder match the flow meter? Effluent flow meter is being calibrated annually by Clearwater. Flow meter was reading 0.003 MGD at the time of the inspection. Comment: Effluent Sampling Yes No NA NE Page#7 DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A Permit:NC0004405 Inspection Date:07/09/2018 Owner - Facility: Inspection Type: Cliffside Sanitary District WWTP Technical Assistance Effluent Sampling Yes No NA NE Is composite sampling flow proportional? Is sample collected below all treatment units? Is proper volume collected? Is the tubing clean? # Is proper temperature set for sample storage (kept at less than or equal to 6.0 degrees Celsius)? Is the facility sampling performed as required by the permit (frequency, sampling type representative)? All data is being reported on the discharge monitoring report.Comment: Effluent Pipe Yes No NA NE Is right of way to the outfall properly maintained? Are the receiving water free of foam other than trace amounts and other debris? If effluent (diffuser pipes are required) are they operating properly? Effluent is free of foam and debris; however, algae is growing within the reaeration basin. Algae is also growing along the effluent discharge location and entering the Second Broad. Comment: Flow Measurement - Influent Yes No NA NE # Is flow meter used for reporting? Is flow meter calibrated annually? Is the flow meter operational? (If units are separated) Does the chart recorder match the flow meter? Photos taken by Ms. James, indicate there is a portable composite sampler located in the influent lift station. Comment: Page#8 DocuSign Envelope ID: 072AA964-C844-4EF3-9FC3-938D887D9F4A