WQ0003765_Final Permit_19911127

State of North Carolina
Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources
Division of Environmental Management
512 North Salisbury Street • Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
James G. Martin, Governor
William W. Cobey, Jr., Secretary
November 27, 1991
Mr. Charles T. Potter, Chairman
Craven County Board of Commissioners
Post Office Box 1425
New Bern, North Carolina 28650
George T. Everett, Ph.D
Director
Subject: Permit No. WQ0003765
Neuse River Water & Sewer District
S.T.E.P. Systems; Wastewater
Treatment & Spray Irrigation Disposal
Craven County
Dear Mr. Potter:
In accordance with your renewal request received August 15, 1991 we are forwarding herewith
Permit No. WQ0003765, dated November 27, 1991, to Neuse River Water & Sewer District for the
continued operation of a wastewater collection, treatment, and spray irrigation disposal facility.
This permit shall be effective from the date of issuance until October 31, 1996, shall supersede
Permit No. WQ0003765 issued July 19, 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 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. Potter
November 27, 1991
Page Two
If you need additional information concerning this matter, please contact Mark Hawes at 919/ 733-
5083.
cc: Craven County Health Department
Washington Regional Office
Groundwater Section
Training and Certification Unit
Colonial Engineering, Inc.
Facilities Assessment Unit
U

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
NEUSE RIVER WATER & SEWER DISTRICT
Craven County
FOR THE
continued operation of existing facilities to include the responsibility for the routine maintenance of the
septic tank effluent pump (S.T.E.P.) units which are connected to this system along with the associated
tanks, pumps, high water alarms, connections, valves, cleanouts, and appurtenances, booster lift stations
No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 with dual 650 gpm, 310 gpm, 400 gpm, 373 gpm, and 110 gpm submersible
pumps, respectively, with approximately 5,128 linear feet of 4 inch force main, 3,994 Iinear feet of 6 inch
force main, 8,778 linear feet of 8 inch force main, 11,900 linear feet of 10 inch force main, and 824 linear
feet of 12 inch force main, 19 cleanouts, 21 gate valves and boxes, and a 350,000 gpd wastewater
treatment and spray irrigation facility consisting of an influent flow meter, a 15.64 acre two (2) cell
stabilization/storage lagoon with 30 days of treatment time and 45 days of storage while maintaining a one
(1) foot freeboard, a lagoon liner of natural clay material of adequate thickness and compaction with a
permeability of I x 10-6 cm/sec or less, chlorination facilities, dual 1,000 gpm vertical turbine irrigation
pumps with approximately 11,925 linear feet of force main, two (2) fixed nozzle spray irrigation fields
with a wetted area of 1,091,178 square feet and 564,538 square feet, respectively, and a linear move spray
irrigation system with a wetted area of 2,921,250 square feet, approximately 1,170 linear feet of 2 inch
water line, and all the associated piping, valves, and appurtenances to serve Neuse River Water & Sewer
District with no discharge of wastes to the surface waters, pursuant to the renewal request received August
15, 1991 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 October 31, 1996, shall supersede
Permit No. WQ0003765 issued July 19, 1991 and shall be subject to the following specified conditions
and limitations:

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 absorb the wastewater, the Permittee shall take such immediate
corrective action to correct the problem, including actions as may be required by the
Division of Environmental Management.
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 sludge generated from these treatment facilities must be disposed of 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,
g) 50 feet between wastewater treatment units and property lines.
6. Upon completion of construction and prior to operation of facilties permitted for
construction in Permit No. WQ0003765 issued February 8, 1991 and the subsequesnt
amendment of July 19, 1991, a certification must be received from a professional engineer
certifying that the permitted facility has been installed in accordance with this permit, the
approved plans and specifications. Mail the Certification to the Permits and Engineering
Unit, P.O. Box 29535, Raleigh, NC 27626-0535.
11. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS
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 of the
wastewater treatment facilities. The operator must hold a certificate of the type and grade at
least equivalent to the classification assigned to the wastewater treatment facilities by the
Certification Commission.
3. A suitable vegetative cover 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.
Fa

6. 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.
7. The application rates on the spray irrigation fields shall be limited as follows:
Field No. 1 25.05 Acres - The Northern most fixed nozzles beginning at hydrant no. 3
and extending north to include a total of 40 fixed nozzles shall be limited to
1.2 inches per acre per week.
]Eield NQ, lA 16.47 Acres - The linear move system spray field from the Northern most
point to the point halfway between hydrant No. 2 and No. 3 shall be
limited to 1.2 inches per acre per week.
Field No. 2 12.96 Acres - The existing fixed nozzles in old Field No. 2 to include a total
of 22 fixed nozzles shall be limited to 0.75 inches per acre per week.
Meld No.2A 15.29 Acres - The linear move system spray irrigation field beginning at
hydrant No. 5 and extending to the Southern most point of the expanded
linear move system spray irrigation field shall be limited to 0.75 inches per
acre per week.
Field No. 3 35.30 Acres - The linear move system spray irrigation field beginning
halfway between hydrant No. 2 and No. 3 then extending south to hydrant
No. 5 shall be limited to 0.6 inches per acre per week.
8. No type of wastewater other than that from Neuse River Water & Sewer District 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. In addition, cattle access to the
spray fields shall be limited during wet periods, in order to prevent compaction of the soil.
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. The Permittee shall take the appropriate actions necessary to reduce the impacts of sodium
in the wastewater or in the soil to levels which are conducive to crop growth and
maintenance of good soil structure.
12. An agronomic plan must be developed which maximizes the assimilative capacity of the
nutrients in the wastewater through the crops to be grown, crop rotation, etc.
III. MONITORINGAND REPORTING REOILIREMENTS
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 various parameters
associated with the operation of these facilities. These records shall include, but are not
necessarily limited to the following information:
3

a) daily volume of influent entering the lagoons,
b) date of irrigation,
c) volume of wastewater irrigated,
d) field irrigated and length of time field is irrigated,
e) continuous weekly, monthly, and year-to-date hydraulic (inches/ache) loadings for
each field,
f) daily conditions,
g) maintenance of cover crops,
h) quantity of soil conditioning material applied,
i) maintenance performed, and
j) daily lagoon elevations.
3. The effluent from the subject facilities shall be monitored by the Permittee at the point prior
to irrigation twice per month (if irrigation occurs during the calender month) for the
following parameters:
BOD5
TS S
Fecal Coliform
pH
NH3 as N
Sodium
Magnesium
Calcium
Sodium Adsorption Ratio by Calculation
4. Soils analysis shall be conducted in January and July on the spray irrigation fields. These
analyses shall be representative of the entire irrigation area and shall include the following
parameters.
Standard Soil Fertility Test Sodium
% Base Saturation Magnesium
PH Calcium
Cation Exchange Capacity Exchangeable Sodium
5. Three copies of all operation and disposal records (as specified in condition III 2) and all
effluent monitoring data, all soils analyses (as specified in condition 1113 and 11I 4) and any
other data as may be required shall be submitted on or before the last day of the following
month to the following address:
NC Division of Environmental Management
Water Quality Section
Facility Assessment Unit
PO Box 29535
Raleigh, NC 27626-0535
6. Noncompliance Notification:
The Permittee shall report by telephone to the Washington 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 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 render the facility
incapable of adequate wastewater treatment such as mechanical or electrical failures
of pumps, aerators, compressors, etc.
4

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.
d. Any time that self -monitoring information indicates that the facility has gone out of
compliance with its permit limitations.
e. Any time that the lagoon elevations are within 1.5 feet of the top of the dike.
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.
1. The nine (9) existing monitor wells shall continue to be sampled every April, August, and
December for the following parameters:
NO3 TDS
TOC pH
Ammonia Nitrogen Chloride
Water Level Fecal Coliforms
Nitrite Phenol (per EPA Method 604)
Sodium SO4
Iron
Volatile Organic Compounds - In December only ( by Method 1 or Method 2
below)
Method 1: Method 6230D ( CapiIlary - Column), "Standard Methods for the
Examination of Water and Wastewater", 17th edition, 1989
Method 2: Method 502.2 " Methods for the Determination of Organic Compounds
in Drinking Water", United States Environmental Protection Agency -
600/4-88/039
The measurement of water level must be made prior to sampling for the remaining
parameters.
The measuring points (top of well casing) of all monitoring wells shall be surveyed to
provide relative elevations of the measuring point for each of the monitoring wells. The
depth of water in each well shall be measured from the surveyed point on the top of the
casing.
If TOC concentrations greater than 10 mg/1 are detected in any down gradient 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 bacg ound monitor well exceeds 10 mg/l, this concentration will be taken to represent
the naturally occurring TOC concentration. Any exceedances of this naturally occurring
TOC concentration in the down gradient wells shall be subject to the additional sampling
and analysis as described above.
If any volatile organic compounds are detected by method 6230D, or the equivalent method
502.2, then EPA methods 604 and 611 must also be run to detect other organic compounds
which may be present. The results of all analysis specified in the monitoring requirements,
including 604 and 611 if required, must be submitted simultaneously.
5

The results of the sampling and analysis shall be sent to the N.C. Division of
Environmental Management on Form GW-59 (Compliance Monitoring Report Form) every
May, September, and January.
2. The Compliance BoundM for the disposal system is specified by regulations in 15 NCAC
2L, Classifications and Water Quality Standards applicable to the groundwater of North
Carolina. An exceedance of Groundwater Quality Standards beyond the Compliance
Boundary is subject to penalty provisions applicable under General Statute 143-215.6A.
The sale of property, by the Permittee, which is within or contiguous to the disposal
system site may alter location of the Compliance Boundary.
For facilities permitted on or after December 30, 1983, the Compliance Boundary is
established at the lesser of 250 feet from the lagoons and the spray irrigation fields or 50
feet within the property boundary.
If the title to any property which may affect the location of the Compliance Boundary is
changed, the permittee shall notify the Division Director within 14 days. The Director shall
then establish a modified Compliance Boundary which will be done as a modification to the
Permit.
The REVIEW BOUNDARY for the disposal system is specified by regulations in 15
NCAC 2L, Groundwater Classifications and Standards. A REVIEW BOUNDARY is
established around disposal systems midway between the Compliance Boundary and the
perimeter of the waste disposal area. When the concentration of any substance equals or
exceeds the maximum allowable concentration of that substance at the REVIEW
BOUNDARY, as determined by monitoring, the permittee shall either (i) demonstrate,
through predictive calculations or modeling, that natural site conditions, facility design and
operational controls will prevent a violation of standards at the Compliance Boundary; or,
(ii) submit a plan for the alteration of existing site conditions, facility design or operational
controls that will prevent a violation of standards at the Compliance Boundary, and
implement that plan upon its approval by the Director.
3. Any additional groundwater quality monitoring, as deemed necessary by the Division, shall
be provided.
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 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 leachate.
6

110 0 0 0 1111Z
This permit shall become voidable unless the facilities are constructed in accordance with
the conditions of this permit, the approved plans, 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 them 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 143-215.6A to 143-215.6C.
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
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).
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.
Permit issued this the 27th day of November, 1991
CAROLINA
,Lieo2r'gge T. Ever F
Division of En 'By Authority of
Permit Number WQ0003765
tal
'AL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Commission
7

Permit No. WQ0003765
November 27, 1991
1, , as a duly registered Professional Engineer in the State of North
Carolina, having been authorized to observe (periodically, weekly, full time) the construction of the
project,
Project Name
Location
for the
Permittee hereby state that, to the best of my abilities, due care and diligence was used in the observation
of the construction such that the construction was observed to be built within substantial compliance and
intent of the approved plans and specifications.
Signature
Date
Registration
8

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