WQ0001346_Final Permit_19890328

State of North Carolina
Department of Natural Resources and Community Development
Division of Environmental Management
512 North Salisbury Street * Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
James G. Martin, Governor R. Paul Wilms
William W. Cobey, Jr., Secretary March 28, 1989 Director
Mr. J.E. Hinkel,
City of Monroe
P.O. Box 69
Monroe, NC 2811C
Dear Mr. Hinkel:
City Manager
SUBJECT: Permit No. WQ0001346
City of Monroe
Land Application of Municipal Sludge
Union County
In accordance with your application received March 13, 1989, we are
forwarding herewith Permit No. WQ0001346, dated March 28, 1989, to the City of
Monroe for the operation of the subject sludge land application activities.
This permit shall be effective from the date of issuance until February 28,
1994, and shall be subject to the conditions and limitations as specified therein.
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 clearings, Post Office
Drawer 11666, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604. Unless such demands are made this
permit shall be final and binding.
One (1) set of approved plans and specifications is being forwarded to you. If
you need additional information concerning this matter, please contact Mr. Randy
,Jones, -telephone No. 919/733-5083.
Sincer ly,
Paul Wilms
cc: Union County Health Department
Mooresville Regional Supervisor
Groundwater Section.
Bio Gr-o, Inc.
PC} Box 27687, Raleigh, North Carolina 27611-7687 Telephone [phone]
An Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer

NORTH CAROLINA
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
RALEIGH
P E R 11 I T
For the discharge of Sewage, Industrial Wastes, or Other Wastes
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 Monroe
Union County
FOR THE
operation of a sludge land application program for disposal of waste sludge from the
City of Monroe Wastewater Treatment Facility to the lands described in condition No.
4 33 having a total acreage of 434 acres, with no discharge to the surface waters of
the State, pursuant to the application received March 13, 1989, and in conformity
with the project plan, specifications, and other supporting data subsequently filed
and approved by the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development and
considered a part of this permit.
This permit shall be effective from the date of issuance until February 28, 1994,
and shall be subject to the following specified conditions and limitations:
1. This permit shall become voidable unless the sludge land application facilities
are used in accordance with the approved documents.
2. This permit is effective only with respect to the nature and volume of wastes
described in the application and other supporting data.
3. The facilities shalt be properly maintained and operated at all times.
4. This permit shall become voidable in the event of failure of the soil to
adequately absorb the wastes and may he rescinded unless the facilities are
installed, maintained, and operated in a manner which will protect the assigned
water quality standards of the surface waters and ground waters.
5. This permit is not transferable.

6. The sludge land application 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 application area
to adequately absorb the sludge, the Permittee shall take such immediate
corrective action as may be required by the Division of Environmental Management.
7. Any additional. monitoring deemed necessary by the Division to insure surface
and groundwater protection shall be established and an acceptable sampling
reporting schedule shall be followed,
8. Sludge shall .not be applied to any fields, or parts thereof, where the depth to
bedrock is less than 48 inches from the grounds surface.
9. Any abandoned wells on the sludge application fields shall be abondoned in
accordance with 15 NCAC 2C. 0113, Well Construction Standard, prior to sludge
disposal,
10. A minimum of 36 inches of soil depth must be maintained between the deepest
point of sludge injection and the seasonal. high water table on all sludge
application sites.
11. Reports on the operations of the sludge land application program shall be
submitted to the Division's Mooresville Regional Office at regular intervals and
in such forth and. detail as may be required by this Division.
12, Adequate facilities shall be provided to prevent surface runoff from carrying any
disposed -or stored material into the receiving stream.
13, The issuance of this permit shall not relieve the Permittee of the responsibility
for damages to surface or g.roundwaters resulting from the operation of this
facility.
14. No type of sludge other than that from the City of Monroe Wastewater Treatment
Facility shall be placed on the land application disposal site.
15. The facilities shall be effectively maintained and operated as a non -discharge
system to prevent the discharge of any wastewater resulting from the operation of
this facility.
1.6. Adequate provisions shall be taken to prevent wind erosion and surface runoff
:from conveying pollutants from the sludge application area onto the adjacent
property or into the surface waters.
1.7. Sludge shall not be applied in inclement weather or until 24 hours following a
rainfall. event of 1/2-inch or greater in 24 hours. Emergency sludge disposal.
measures shall be approved by the Division of Environmental Management.
1.8. The site shall. be adequately limed to a soil pii of 6.5 prior to sludge
application.

19. No crops for direct human consumption shall be raised on these sites for a period
of. 18 months .following sludge application.
20. Maximum slope for sludge application shall be 10% for surface application and 18%
for subsurface applications.
f11. Minimum buffer distances to applied sludge shall be maintained as follows:
a. 50 feet from any public right-of-way for surface application; 25 feet for
subsurface application.
b. 100 feet from property lines unless adjoining property owner(s) concur
in writing with sludge application closer to the property line.
C. 100 feet from streams, ponds, and lakes for surface application; 50 feet
for subsurface application.
d. 25 feet from groundwater lowering and surface drainage ditches.
e. 1.00 feet for surface or subsurface sludge application from the on -site
residences of the landowners receiving the sludge.
f. 100 feet from any wells, active or abandoned, unless the wells have been
permanently abandoned in accordance with 15 NCAC 2C .0113.
g. 200 feet for subsurface sludge injection and 400 feet for surface sludge
application from any residence or place of public assembly under separate
ownership or which is to be sold; however, the buffer zone requirement may be
reduced to a minimum of 100 feet upon written consent of the occupant.
J22. The sludge shall be uniformly applied to the land application sites and
loadings shall not exceed the application rate based on the most limiting
factor for the application of each sludge as determined by the current sludge
analysis. When the sludge application rate is limited by nitrogen, loading
rates shall not exceed the following crop nitrogen requirements:
a. 100 lbs plant available nitrogen/acre/year to fields planted in. wheat or
barley.
b. 150 lbs plant available nitrogen/acre/year to fescue pasture or fields
planted in fescue hay, soybeans or corn for grain.
C. 220 lbs. plant available nitrogen per acre per year to fields planted in
corn silage
d. 250 lbs plant available nitrogen/acre/year to fields planted in clover or
alfalfa.
23. Annual cadmium applications shall not exceed 0.45 lbs/acre. Cumulative
application shall not exceed 4.45 lbs/acre.
24. if analysis shows that PCB is present in the waste sludge at concentrations
greater than 10 ppm (dry weight basis), the sludge shall be thoroughly
incorporated into the soil. by discing, subsurface .injection or other appropriate
means. if analysis shows that the PCB concentration is greater than 50 ppm, no
sludge shall be applied.
25. Animals should not be grazed on sludge applied land within a 30-day period
following the sludge application. Application sites that are to be used for
grazing shall have fencing that will be used to prevent access during the 30-day
periods after each application.
26. Surface application of liquid sludge shall not be used on sites that are prone to
flooding conditions. (Below the 100-year flood level.)

27. Surface applied sludge will be plowed or disced in immediately after
application on lands with no cover crop established.
28. Areas located within the 100 year flood plan must be delineated by flagging,
unless, the applicant can successfully demonstrate that a. three (3) foot
separation exists between the bottom of the injection trench and the seasonal
high groundwater table.
29. In any future transfer of this land, a notice shall be given to the new owner
that gives full details of the materials applied or incorporated at the specific
site.
30. Adequate records shall be maintained for tracking the sludge applied on the
permitted sites. These records shall include, but not necessarily be limited to,
the following information:
a. Date of sludge application
b. Weather conditions
C. Quantity of sludge applied
d. Land receiving sludge, identified by site number and owner
e. Specific field or site location where sludge is applied
f. Cover crop
g. lbs/acre of plant available nitrogen applied
h. Annual, and cumulative totals for lbs/a.cre of cadmium applied to each field
These records shall be summarized and submitted annually to the
Division's Mooresville Regional Office on or before the 10th day of
January.
31.. 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.
32. This permit shall become voidable unless the agreements between the City of
Monroe and the owners of the approved sludge application sates are in full force
and effect.
33. The following agricultural sites i3.i Union County shall be included in the City of
Monroe's sludge application program.
Site No. Field Owner or Lessee Net Acres Available
for Sludge Disposal
UN-2 1-3, 6 Jerry Smith 263.5
g 8-12
UN-6 1-10 Allen Moser 127.2
Total 390.7
A
r

34. Due to seasonal high water table conditions no sludge shall. be applied to the
following site(s) during the months of December through April:
Site UN-2 (only fields 8, 10, 11, 12)
35. Due to seasonal high water table conditions no sludge shall be applied to the
following site(s) during the months of December through May:
Site UN-6 (only fields 2 and 5)
36. All land application sites shall be flagged prior to sludge, application to mark
buffer zones and clearly delineate sludge application limits.
Permit issued this the 28th day of March, 1989.
NORTH CAROLINA ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
R. Paul Wilms, Director.
Division of Environmental Management
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Permit No. WQ0001346