WQ0004563_Final Permit_19920310

State of North Carolina
Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources
Division of Environmental Management
512 North Salisbury Street • Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
Tames G. Martin, Governor
William W. Cobey, Jr., Secretary
March 10, 1992
Mr. Wm. Jerry Twiggs,
Public Utilities Director
City of Hickory
Post Office Box 398
Hickory, North Carolina 28603
George T. Everett, Ph.D
Director
Subject: Permit No. WQ0004563
City of Hickory
Regional Compost Facility
Catawba County
Dear Mr. Twiggs:
In accordance with your application received December 27, 1990, we are forwarding herewith
Permit No. WQ0004563, dated March 10, 1992, to the City of Hickory for the construction and operation
of the subject facilities.
This permit shall void Permit No. 13254 and shall be effective from the date of issuance until
February 28, 1997, 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 to you, you have
the right to request an adjudicatory hearing upon written request within 30 days following receipt of this
permit. This request must be in the form of a written petition, conforming to Chapter 150B of 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.
Regional Offices
Asheville Fayetteville Mooresville Raleigh Washington Wilmington Winston-Salem
704/251-6208 919/486-1541 704/663-1699 919/733-2314 919/946-6481 919/395-3900 919/896-7007
Pollution Prevention Pays
P.O. Box 29535, Raleigh, North Carolina-27626-0535 Telephone [phone]
An Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer

Mr. Twiggs
March 10, 1992
Page Two
If you need additional information concerning this matter, please contact Ms. Angela Y. Griffin at
919/733-5083.
cc: Catawba County Health Department
Mooresville Regional Office, Water Quality
Mooresville Regional Office, Groundwater
Groundwater Section, lack Floyd
Facilities Assessment Unit
Training and Certification Unit

NORTH CAROLINA
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND NATURAL RESOURCES
RALEIGH
COMPOST 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
City of Hickory
Catawba County
FOR THE
continued operation of a wastewater treatment plant sludge composting facility consisting of the
composting of the sludge for the sources listed in Condition 113. on a 1.5 meter belt filter press, dual
DAF sludge thickeners (250,000 gallon capacity), polymer feed and odor control system, sludge
composting consists of a four (4) bin receiving and mixing station, dual enclosed mechanical bioreactors, a
two (2) acre curing area and a 0.150 MGD extended aeration wastewater pretreatment facility to serve the
City of Hickory with no discharge of wastes to the surface waters, pursuant to the application received
December 27, 1990 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 void Permit No. 13254 and shall be effective from the date of issuance until
February 28, 1997, and shall be subject to the following specified conditions and limitations:
1. The Mooresville Regional Office, phone no. [phone] shall be notified at least forty-
eight (48) hours in advance of operation of the installed facilities so that an in -place
inspection can be made. Such notification to the regional 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.
2. This permit shall become voidable in the event of failure of the sludge composting facility
to adequately protect the assigned water quality standards of the surface waters and
groundwaters.

3. The sludge composting program shall be effectively maintained and operated as a non -
discharge system to prevent discharge of any wastes resulting from the operation of this
program.
4. 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.
5. In the event that the sludge composting program is not operated satisfactorily, including the
creation of nuisance conditions, the Pemsittee shall take such immediate corrective action as
may be required by this Department, including the construction of additional or replacement
wastewater treatment or disposal facilities.
6. Diversion or bypassing of the untreated sludge or compost drainage wastewater from the
compost facilities is prohibited
7. Compost sludge should not be used in areas of intense public use (schools, playgrounds,
etc.).
1. The facilities and disposal sites shall be properly maintained and operated at all times.
2. The sludge composting operation must be conducted under the supervision of the certified
wastewater treatment plant operator required by the Certification Commission for operation
of the City of Hickory's Northeast Wastewater Treatment Plants, NPDES Permit No.
NCO020401 and the City of Hickory's Henry Fork Wastewater Treatment Plants, NPDES
Permit No. NC0040797.
3. No sludges other than the following are hereby approved for composting in accordance
with this permit:
Permit
Source _ __.
_ CQunl
Numbg
City of Hickory NE
Catawba
NCO020401
City of Hickory BF
Catawba
NCO040797
Town of Newton
Catawba
NCO036196
City of Conover NE
Catawba
NCO024252
City of Conover SW
Catawba
NCO024261
City of Conover SE
Catawba
NCO024279
4. All compost shall be stored on the concrete composting pad during composting and until
such time as it is distributed to the buyer. If an alternate storage site is to be used, approval
must be obtained from the Division of Environmental Management.
5. No compost shall be marketed that does not meet the criteria for the Process to Further
Reduce Pathogens, which for a static aerated pile the compost pile must be maintained at
operating temperatures of 550 C (1310 F) or greater for three (3) days. The use of any
other composting method shall require a permit amendment prior to the distribution of any
such compost.
2

1. Any monitoring (including groundwater, surface water, sludge, soil, or plant tissue
analyses) deemed necessary by the Division of Environmental Management to insure
protection of the environment will be established and an acceptable sampling and reporting
schedule shall be followed.
2. The City of Hickory shall maintain records including, but not limited to the following:
a. volume, source, and analysis of sludge and compost
b. date, duration and temperature during composting
c. name of compost recipient, volume received, and intended use
An annual summary report (three copies) of the records required above shall be submitted
on or before March 1 of the following year by City of Hickory, to the following address:
NC Division of Environmental Management
Water Quality Section
Facility Assessment Unit
PO Box 29535
Raleigh, NC 27626-0535
3. The City of Hickory shall present to each recipient of compost written information that
clearly states that compost sludge cannot be used on areas where root or leaf crops for
direct human consumption are to be grown within one (1) year of the last application of
compost to the site. The City of Hickory shall also include written recommendations to the
compost recipients for satisfactory uses of compost material such as horticulture,
silvicultural, other agricultural uses not specifically prohibited, etc.
4. Noncompliance Notification:
The Permittee shall report by telephone to the Mooresville Regional Office, telephone no.
[phone], 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 with the composting program which results in the composting of
significant amounts of wastes which are abnormal in quantity or characteristic.
b. Any failure of the composting program resulting in a discharge of wastes to
receiving waters.
C. Any time that self -monitoring information indicates that the facility has gone out of
compliance with the conditions and limitations of this permit or the parameters on
which the system was designed.
d. Any process unit failure, due to known or unknown reasons, that render the facility
incapable of adequate sludge treatment
3

e. Any leakage or spillage that occurs during the transfer or transport of the compost
material.
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.
.' If ► 1 I , I111][53,31SOIN
1. Any groundwater quality monitoring as deemed necessary by the Division of
Environmental Management shall be provided
�Wy ►_
1. The Permittee or his designee shall inspect the sludge storage, transport, and composting
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 by the Division of Environmental Management or other permitting authority.
2. 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 composting facility and facility at any reasonable time
for the purpose of determining compliance with this permit; may inspect or copy any
records that must be kept under the terms and conditions of this permit; or may obtain
samples of groundwater, surface water, or ieachate.
VI. GENERAL ,CQNDITIONS
This permit shall become voidable unless the land application activities are carried out in
accordance with the conditions of this permit and in the manner approved by this Division.
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 a name change of the Permittee, a formal permit request must be subry&ted 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. FaiIure to abide by the conditions and limitations contained in this permit may subject the
Pemiittee to an enforcement action by the Division of Environmental Management in
accordance with North Carolina General Statute 143-215.6.
4

5 . 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 15 NCAC 2H .0205
(c)(4).
6. 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.
7. A set of approved documents for the subject project must be retained by the applicant for
the life of the project.
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.
9. This permit may be modified or reissued to incorporate any conditions, limitations and
monitoring requirements the Division of Environmental Management deems necessary in
order to adequately protect the environment and public health.
Permit issued this the 10th day of March, 1992
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
`�eorge Everett, DPEc
Division of Envrro
By Authority of the B
Permit No. WQ0004563
Management Commission
5

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MEMO
To: Training and Certification
From: State Engineering Review Group,
Subject: Permit No. C.yGtLJSCv3
Date: 4Mka--H 02-
Please note this is a permit renewal for an existing facility. No
additional facilities have been constructed nor any changes made to the
existing facilities, therefore, no new rating sheet is required.