WQ0004270_Final Permit_19960326

State of North Carolina
Department of Environment,
Health and Natural Resources
Division of Environmental Management
James B. Hunt, Jr., Governor
Jonathan B. Howes, Secretary
A. Preston Howard, Jr., P.E., Director
March 26, 1996
Mr. Ernest W. Sumner
A. B. Carter, Inc.
P.O. Box 518
Gastonia, NC 28053
Subject: Permit No. WQ0004270
A. B. Carter, Inc.
Wastewater Spray Irrigation
Gaston County
Dear Mr. Sumner:
In accordance with your application received November 15, 1995, we are forwarding herewith
Permit No. WQ0004270, dated March 26, 1996, to A. B. Carter, Inc. for the continued operation of the
subject wastewater treatment and spray irrigation facilities.
This permit shall be effective from the date of issuance until February 28, 2001, shall void Permit
No. WQ0004270, issued June 26, 1991, and shall be subject to the conditions and limitations as specified
therein. Please pay particular attention to the monitoring requirements in this permit. Failure to establish
an adequate system for collecting and maintaining the required operational information will result in future
compliance problems.
If any parts, requirements, or limitations contained in this permit are unacceptable, you have the
right to request an adjudicatory hearing upon written request within thirty (30) days following receipt of
this permit. This request must be in the form of a written petition, conforming to Chapter 150B of the
North Carolina General Statutes, and filed with the Office of Administrative Hearings, P.O. Drawer
27447, Raleigh, NC 27611-7447. Unless such demands are made this permit shall be final and binding.
If you need additional information concerning this matter, please contact Mr. Randy Kepler at
[phone] extension 544.
Sincerely,
A. Presto Howard, Jr., P.E.
cc: Gaston County Health Department
Mooresville Regional Office, Water Quality Section
Mooresville Regional Office, Groundwater Section
Bob Cheek, Groundwater Section, Central Office
Training and Certification Unit
Facilities Assessment Unit
P.O. Box 29535, Raleigh, North Carolina 27626-0535 Telephone [phone] FAX [phone]
An Equai Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer 50% recycled/ 10% post -consumer paper

NORTH CAROLINA
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND NATURAL RESOURCES
RALEIGH
SPRAY IRRIGATION SYSTEM PERMIT
In accordance with the provisions of Article 21 of Chapter 143, General. Statutes of North Carolina as
amended, and other applicable Laws, Rules, and Regulations
PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO
A. B. Carter, Inc.
Gaston County
We i10
continued operation of a 5,000 GPD spray irrigation treatment and disposal facility consisting of a 5,000
GPD extended aeration plant with a comminutor, bar screen, two aeration basins, clarifier, chlorine contact
chamber and a 0.235 MG storage lagoon, a 120 GPM irrigation pump and approximately 2.5 acres of
irrigation field to serve A. B. Carter, Inc., with no discharge of wastes to the surface waters, pursuant to
the application received November 15, 1995, and in conformity with the project plan, specifications, and
other supporting data subsequently filed and approved by the Department of Environment, Health and
Natural Resources and considered a part of this permit.
This permit shall be effective from the date of issuance until February 28, 2001, shall void Perrnrt
No. WQ0004270 issued June 26, 1991, and shall be subject to the following specified conditions and
limitations:
I. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
1. The spray irrigation facilities shall be effectively maintained and operated at all times so that
there is no discharge to the surface waters, nor any contamination of ground waters which
will render them unsatisfactory for normal use. In the event that the facilities fail to
perform satisfactorily, including the creation of nuisance conditions or failure of the
irrigation area to adequately assimilate the wastewater, the Permittee shall.take immediate
corrective actions including those actions that may be required by the Division of
Environmental Management, such as the construction of additional or replacement
wastewater treatment and disposal facilities.
2. The issuance of this permit shall not relieve the Permittee of the responsibility for damages
to surface or groundwaters resulting from the operation of this facility.
3. The residuals generated from these treatment facilities must be disposed in accordance with
General Statute 143-215.1 and in a manner approved by the North Carolina Division of
Environmental Management.
4. Diversion or bypassing of the untreated wastewater from the treatment facilities is
prohibited.

5. The following buffers shall be maintained. -
a) 400 feet between wetted area and any residence or places of public assembly under
separate ownership,
b) 150 feet between wetted area and property lines,
c) 100 feet between wetted area and wells,
d) 100 feet between wetted area and drainageways or surface water bodies,
e) 50 feet between wetted area and public right of ways,
f) 100 feet between wastewater treatment units and wells, and
g) 50 feet between wastewater treatment units and property lines.
Some of the buffers specified above may not have been included in previous permits for
this waste treatment and disposal system. These buffers are not intended to prohibit or
prevent modifications, which are required by the Division, to improve performance of the
existing treatment facility. These buffers do, however, apply to modifications of the
treatment and disposal facilities which are for the purpose of increasing the flow that is
tributary to the facility. These buffers do apply to any expansion or modification of the
spray irrigation areas and apply in instances in which the sale of property would cause any
of the buffers now complied with, for the treatment and disposal facilities, to be violated.
The applicant is advised that any modifications to the existing facilities will require a permit
modification.
1. The facilities shall be properly maintained and operated at all times.
2. Upon classification of the facility by the Certification Commission, the Permittee shall
employ a certified wastewater treatment plant operator to be in responsible charge (ORC) of
the wastewater treatment facilities. The operator must hold a certificate of the type and
grade at least equivalent to or greater than the classification assigned to the wastewater
treatment facilities by the Certification Commission. The Permittee must also employ a
certified back-up operator of the appropriate type and grade to comply with the conditions
of Title 15A, Chapter 8A, .0202. The ORC of the facility must visit each Class I facility at
least weekly and each Class II, III, and IV facility at least daily, excluding weekends and
holidays, and must properly manage and document daily operation and maintenance of the
facility and must comply with all other conditions of Title 15A, Chapter 8A, .0202. .
3. A suitable vegetative cover of Fescue and Bermuda grass shall be maintained.
4. Irrigation shall not be performed during inclement weather or when the ground is in a
condition that will cause runoff.
5. Adequate measures shall be taken to prevent wastewater runoff from the spray field.
6. The facilities shall be effectively maintained and operated as a non -discharge system to
prevent the discharge of any wastewater resuiting.from the operation of this facility.
7. The application rate shall be an alternating once a week application of 1 inch/acre with an
instantaneous loading rate such that it will not cause ponding or runoff.
8. No type of wastewater other than that from A.B. Carter, Inc. shall be sprayed onto the
irrigation area.
9. No traffic or equipment shall be allowed on the disposal area except while installation
occurs or while normal maintenance is being performed.

10. Public access to the land application sites shall be controlled during active site use. Such
controls may include the posting of signs showing the activities being conducted at each
site.
11. Freeboard in the storage lagoon shall not be less than two feet at any time.
12. The Fescue/Bermuda grass cover in the spray irrigation filed shall at no time be allowed to
reach a height greater than 9 inches.
13. Spare parts shall be provided for the pump in the holding basin so that continuous
operation of the facilities can be maintained.
III. MONITORING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
1. Any monitoring (including groundwater, surface water, soil or plant tissue analyses)
deemed necessary by the Division of Environmental Management to insure surface and
ground water protection will be established and an acceptable sampling reporting schedule
shall be followed.
2. Adequate records shall be maintained by the Permittee tracking the amount of wastewater
disposed. These records shall 'include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following
information:
a. date of irrigation,
b . volume of wastewater irrigated,
c. field irrigated,
d . length of time field is irrigated,
e. continuous weekly, monthly, and year-to-date hydraulic (inches/acre) loadings for each
field,
f . weather conditions, and
g. maintenance of cover crops.
3. The effluent from the subject facilities shall be monitored by the Permittee at the point prior
to irrigation every April, August and December for the following parameters:
BOD5 TSS
Total Coliform pH
NH3 as N Sodium
Magnesium Calcium
Sodium Adsorption Ratio by Calculation
4. Three (3) copies of all operation and disposal records (as specified in condition III 2) on
Form NDAR-1 shall be submitted on or before the last day of the following month. Three
(3) copies of all effluent monitoring data (as specified in condition Ill 3) on Form NDMR-1
shall be submitted on or before the last day of May, September, and January. All
information shall be submitted to the following address:
NC Division of Environmental Management
Water Quality Section
Facility Assessment Unit
PO Box 29535
Raleigh, NC 27626-0535

5. Noncompliance Notification:
The Permittee shall report by telephone to the Mooresville Regional Office, telephone
number 704-663-1699, as soon as possible, but in no case more than 24 hours or on the
next working day following the occurrence or first knowledge of the occurrence of any of
the following:
a. Any occurrence at the wastewater treatment facility which results in the treatment of
significant amounts of wastes which are abnormal in quantity or characteristic, such as
the dumping of the contents of a sludge digester, the known passage of a slug of
hazardous substance through the facility, or any other unusual circumstances;
b . Any process unit failure, due to known or unknown reasons, that renders the facility
incapable of adequate wastewater treatment, such as mechanical or electrical failures of
pumps, aerators, compressors, etc.;
c. Any failure of a pumping station, sewer line, or treatment facility resulting in a by-pass
directly to receiving waters without treatment of all or any portion of the influent to
such station or facility; or
d. Any time that self -monitoring information indicates that the facility has gone out of
compliance with its permit limitations.
Persons reporting such occurrences by telephone shall also file a written report in letter
form within 15 days following first knowledge of the occurrence. This report must outline
the actions taken or proposed to be taken to ensure that the problem does not recur.
I V . GROUNDWATER REQUIREMENTS
1. Within ninety days of permit reissuance, one monitor well, to be referred to as MW-19,
shall be installed downgradient of the spray irrigation fields #1 and #2. The well shall be
constructed such that the water level in the well is newer above or below the screened
(open) portion of the well at any time during the year. The general location for MW-19 is
to be at the review boundary as marked on the map labeled Attachment A, and must be
approved by the Mooresville Regional Office Groundwater Section before actual
installation.
2. Within ninety days of permit reissuance, one monitoring well, to be referred to as MW-20,
shall be installed downgradient of the domestic wastewater pond. The well shall be
constructed such that the water level in the well is never above or below the screened
(open) portion of the well at any time during the year. The general location for MW-20 is
to be at the review boundary as marked on the map labeled Attachment B, and must be
approved by the Mooresville Regional Office Groundwater Section before actual
installation.
3. Monitor wells MW-19 and MW-20 shall be sampled initially after construction and
thereafter every February and August for the following parameters:
Aluminum Ammonia Nitrogen
Cadmium
Chloride Chromium
Copper
Fecal Coliforms Iron
Lead
Nickel NO3
pH
Silver SO4
TDS
TOC Water Levels
Zinc
Volatile Organic Compounds - In November only (by
Method 1 or 2 below)
Method 6230D (Capillary - Column), "Standard Methods For The Examination of
Water and Wastewater", 17th ed., 1989
4

The measurement of water levels must be made prior to sampling for the remaining
parameters. The depth to water in each well shall be measured from the surveyed point on
the top of the casing.
The measuring points (top of well casing) of all monitoring wells shall be surveyed to
provide the relative elevation of the measuring point for each monitoring well.
If TOC concentrations greater than 10 mg/l are detected in any downgradient monitoring
well, additional sampling and analysis must be conducted to identify the individual
constituents comprising this TOC concentration. If the TOC concentration as measured in
the background monitor well exceeds 10 mg/1, this concentration will be taken to represent
the naturally occurring TOC concentration. Any exceedances of this naturally occurring
TOC concentration in the downgradient wells shall be subject to the additional sampling
and analysis as described above.
If any volatile organic compounds are detected by Method 6230D, then the Mooresville
Regional Office Groundwater Supervisor, telephone number 704-663-1699, must be
contacted immediately for further instructions regarding any additional follow-up analyses
required. The results of all initial and follow-up analyses must be submitted
simultaneously.
The results of the sampling and analysis shall be sent to the Groundwater Section, Permits
and Compliance Unit, P.O. Box 29578 Raleigh, N.C. 27626=0578 on Form GW-59
[Compliance Monitoring Report Form] every March and September.
4. Any additional groundwater quality monitoring, as deemed necessary by the Division, shall
be provided.
5. The COMPLIANCE BOUNDARY for the disposal system is specified by regulations in
15A NCAC 2L, Groundwater Classifications and Standards. The Compliance Boundary
for the disposal system constructed prior to December 31, 1983 is established at either (1)
500 feet from the waste disposal area, or (2) at the property boundary, whichever is closest
to the waste disposal area. An exceedance of Groundwater Quality Standards at or beyond
the Compliance Boundary is subject to immediate remediation action in addition to the
penalty provisions applicable under General Statute 143-215.6A(a)(1). -
In accordance with 15A NCAC 2L, a REVIEW BOUNDARY is established around the
disposal systems midway between the Compliance Boundary and the perimeter of the
waste disposal area. Any exceedance of standards at the Review Boundary shall require
remediation action on the part of the permittee.
6. All wells that are constructed for purposes of groundwater monitoring shall be constructed
in accordance with 15A NCAC 2C .0108 (Standards of Construction for Wells Other than
Water Supply) and any other state and local laws and regulations pertaining to well
construction.
7. The Mooresville Regional Office, telephone number 704-663-1699, shall be notified at
least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the construction of any monitoring well so that an
inspection can be made of the monitoring well location. Such notification to the regional
groundwater supervisor shall be made during the normal office hours from 8:00 a.m. until
5:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays.

8 . Within sixty (60) days of completion of all monitoring wells, the permittee shall submit two
original copies of a scaled topographic map (scale no greater than 1":100') signed and
sealed by a professional engineer or a state licensed land surveyor that indicates all of the
following information:
a. the location and identity of each monitoring well,
b. the location of the waste disposal system,
c . the location of all property boundaries,
d. the latitude and longitude of the established horizontal control monument,
e. the relative elevation of the top of the well casing (which shall be known as the
"measuring point"), and
f. the depth of water below the measuring point at the time the measuring point is
established.
The survey shall be conducted using approved practices outlined in North Carolina General
Statutes Chapter 89C and the North Carolina Administrative Code Title 21, Chapter 56.
The surveyor shall establish a horizontal control monument on the property of the waste
disposal system and determine the latitude and longitude of this horizontal control
monument to a horizontal positional accuracy of +/- 10 feet. All other features listed in a.
through e. above shall be surveyed relative to this horizontal control monument. The
positional accuracy of features listed in a. through e. above shall have a ratio of precision
not to exceed an error of closure of 1 foot per 10,000 feet of perimeter of the survey. Any
features located by the radial method will be located from a minimum of two points.
Horizontal control monument shall be installed in such a manner and made of such
materials that the monument will not be destroyed due to activities that may take place on
the property. The map shall also be surveyed using the North American Datum of 1983
coordinate system and shall indicate the datum on the map. All bearings or azimuths shall
be based on either the true or NAD 83 grid meridian. If a Global Positioning System
(GPS) is used to determine the latitude and longitude of the horizontal control monument, a
GPS receiver that has the capability to perform differential GPS shall be used and all data
collected by the GPS receiver will be differentially corrected.
The maps and any supporting documentation shall be sent to the Groundwater Section,
N.C. Division of Environmental Management P.O. Box 29578 Raleigh, N.C. 27626-
057 8.
9. Within thirty days of completion of all well construction activities, a certification must be
received from a professional engineer certifying that the monitoring wells are located and
constructed in accordance with the Well Construction Standards (15A NCAC 2C) and this
permit. This certification should be submitted with copies of the Well Completion Form
(GW-1) for each well. Mail this certification and the associated GW-I forms to the Permits
and Compliance Unit, Groundwater Section, P.O. Box 29578, Raleigh, NC, 27626-0578.
10. For the initial sampling of the well as specified elsewhere in the permit, the permittee shall
submit a copy of the GW-1 Form (Well Completion Form) with the Compliance
Monitoring Form (GW-59) for that well. Compliance Monitoring Forms that do not
include copies of the GW-1 form will be returned to the permittee without being processed.
Failure to submit these forms as required by this permit may result in the initiation of
enforcement activities pursuant to NC General Statutes 143-215.6.
V . INSPECTIONS
1. Adequate inspection, maintenance, and cleaning shall be provided by the Permittee to
insure proper operation of the subject facilities.

2. The Permittee or his designee shall inspect the wastewater treatment and disposal facilities
to prevent malfunctions and deterioration, operator errors and discharges which may cause
or lead to the release of wastes to the environment, a threat to human health, or a nuisance.
The Permittee shall keep an inspection log or summary including at least the date and time
of inspection, observations made, and any maintenance, repairs, or corrective actions taken
by the Permittee. This log of inspections shall be maintained by the Permittee for a period
of three years from the date of the inspection and shall be made available upon request to
the Division of Environmental Management or other permitting authority.
3. Any duly authorized officer, employee, or representative of the Division of Environmental
Management may, upon presentation of credentials, enter and inspect any property,
premises or place on or related to the disposal site or facility at any reasonable time for the
purpose of determining compliance with this permit, may inspect or copy any records that
must be maintained under the terms and conditions of this permit, and may obtain samples
of groundwater, surface water, or leachate.
V1. GENERAL CONDITIONS
1. This permit shall become voidable unless the facilities are constructed in accordance with
the conditions of this permit, the approved plans and specifications, and other supporting
data.
2. This permit is effective only with respect to the nature and volume of wastes described in
the application and other supporting data.
3. This permit is not transferable. In the event there is a desire for the facilities to change
ownership, or there is a name change of the Permittee, a formal permit request must be
submitted to the Division of Environmental Management accompanied by an application
fee, documentation from the parties involved, and other supporting materials as may be
appropriate. The approval of this request will be considered on its merits and may or may
not be approved.
4. Failure to abide by the conditions and limitations contained in this permit may subject the
Permittee to an enforcement action by the Division of Environmental Management in
accordance with North Carolina General Statute 143-215.6(a) to 143-215.6(c).
5. The issuance of this permit does not preclude the Permittee from complying with any and
all statutes, rules, regulations, or ordinances which may be imposed by other government
agencies (local, state, and federal) which have jurisdiction.
6. A set of approved plans and specifications for the subject project must be retained by the
Permittee for the life of the project.
7. The annual administering and compliance fee must be paid by the Permittee within thirty
(30) days after being billed by the Division. Failure to pay the fee accordingly may cause
the Division to initiate action to revoke this permit as specified by 15A NCAC 2H .0205
(c)(4).
8. The Permittee, at least six (6) months prior to the expiration of this permit, shall request its
extension. Upon receipt of the request, the Commission will review the adequacy of the
facilities described therein, and if warranted, will extend the permit for such period of time
and under such conditions and limitations as it may deem appropriate.
7

Permit issued this the Twenty Sixth day of March, 1996
NORTH CAROLINA ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
L'
A.' Preston Ooward, Jr., .E., Director
Division oLEnviroinmental Management
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Permit Number WQ0004270

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