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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWQ0007507_Final Permit_20030725�QF WA Michael F. Easley, Governor O William G. Ross Jr., Secretary co North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Cl Alan W. Klimek, P.E., Director Division of Water Quality July 25, 2003 RANDY KEATON, COUNTY MANAGER PASQUOTANK COUNTY POST OFFICE BOX 39 ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27907 Subject: Permit No. WQ0007507 Pasquotank County Industrial Park Wastewater Surface Irrigation Pasquotank County Dear Mr. Keaton: In accordance with your request for renewal received March 11, 2003, we are forwarding herewith Permit No. WQ0007507, dated July 25, 2003, to Pasquotank County for the continued operation of the subject wastewater treatment and surface irrigation facilities. This permit shall be effective from the date of issuance until June 30, 2008, shall void Permit No. WQ0007507 issued October 8, 1998, and shall be subject to the conditions and limitations as specified therein. PIease 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, 6714 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699- 6714. Unless such demands are made this permit shall be final and binding. If you need additional information concerning this matter, please contact Toni Wyche -at (919) 733-5083 extension 546. erely, an W. Klimek, P.E. cc: Paquotank County Health Department Washington Regional Office, Water Quality Section Washington Regional Office, Groundwater Section Groundwater Section, Central Office Technical. Assistance and Certification Unit Water Quality Central Files NDPU Files r&V Non -Discharge Permitting Unit Internet http:/fh2o.enr.state.ne.us/ndpu tdCDENR 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1617 Telephone (919) 733-5083 Fax (919) 715-6048 DENR Customer Service Center Telephone 1 800 623-7748 An Equal Opportunity Action Employer 50% recycled/10% post -consumer paper NORTH CAROLINA ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES RALEIGH SURFACE 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 Pasquotank County Pasquotank County FOR THE continued operation of a 174,000 gallon per day (GPD) surface irrigation treatment and disposal facility consisting of a 4.1 acre lagoon with a compacted clay liner having a hydraulic conductivity of no greater than 1 x 10-6 centimeters per second, a 12-foot by 12-foot by 35-foot chlorine contact basin, a 860 gallon per minute (GPM) turbine pump irrigation system., and approximately 50 wetted acres to serve Pasquotank County Industrial Park, with no discharge of wastes to the surface waters, pursuant to the application received March 11, 2003, and subsequent additional information received by the Division, and in conformity with the project plan, specifications, and other supporting data subsequently filed and approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and considered a part of this permit. This permit shall be effective from the date of issuance until June 30, 2008, shall void Permit No. WQ0007507 issued October 8, 1998, and shall be subject to the following specified conditions and limitations: I. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS The surface 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 Water Quality (Division), such as the construction of additional or replacement wastewater treatment and disposal facilities. 2. The issuance of this permit shall not relieve the Pertnittee 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 Division. 4. Diversion or bypassing of the untreated wastewater from the treatment facilities is prohibited. 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 drainage ways or surface water bodies, e) 50 feet between wetted area and public right of ways, f) 100 feet between treatment/storage units and any wells, and g) 50 feet between 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 that 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 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. II. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS 1. The facilities shall be properly maintained and operated at all times. 2. Upon classification of the wastewater treatment and irrigation facilities by the Water Pollution Control System Operators Certification Commission (WPCSOCC), the Permittee shall designate and employ a certified operator to be in responsible charge (ORC) and one or more certified operator(s) to be back-up ORC(s) of the facilities in accordance with 15A NCAC 8G .0201. The ORC shall visit the facilities in accordance with 15A NCAC 8G .0204 or as specified in this permit and shall comply with all other conditions specified in these rules. 3. A suitable year round 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. Adequate measures shall be taken to prevent wastewater runoff from the irrigation field. 6. The facilities shall be effectively maintained and operated as a non -discharge system to prevent the discharge of any wastewater resulting froze, the operation of this facility. 7. The application rate shall not exceed an instantaneous application rate not to exceed .307 inches per hour and the following annual cumulative loadings over any twelve (12) month period: 16.12 inches per year Zone 1 34.84 inches per year Zone 2 35.88 inches per year Zone 3 35.36 inches per year Zone 4 62.40 inches per year Zone 5 61.36 inches per year Zone 6 66.56 inches per year Zone 7 56.68 inches per year Zone 8 8. No type of wastewater other than that from Pasquotank County Industrial Park shall be irrigated onto the irrigation area. VA 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 Iand 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 lagoon shall not be less than two feet at any time. 12. If not already installed, a waste -level gauge, to monitor waste levels in the lagoon, shall be installed within 60 days of issuance of this permit. This gauge shall have readily visible permanent markings indicating the maximum liquid level at the top of the temporary liquid storage volume, minimum Iiquid level at the bottom of the temporary liquid storage volume, and top of the dam elevations. 13. A protective vegetative cover shall be established and maintained on all earthen basin embankments (outside toe of embankment to maximum pumping elevation), berms, pipe runs, erosion control areas, and surface water diversions. Trees, shrubs, and other woody vegetation shall not be allowed to grow on the earthen basin dikes or embankments. Earthen basin embankment areas shall be kept mowed or otherwise controlled and accessible. MONITORING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 1. Any monitoring (including groundwater, surface water, soil or plant tissue analyses) deemed necessary by the Division to insure surface and ground water protection will be established and an acceptable sampling reporting schedule shall be followed. 2. 3. Influent flow shall be continuously monitored and daily flow values shall be reported on Form NDMR. The Permittee shall install an appropriate flow measurement device consistent with approved engineering and scientific practices to ensure the accuracy and reliability of influent flow measurement. Flow measurement devices selected shall be capable of measuring flows with a maximum deviation of less than 10 percent from true flow, accurately calibrated at a minimum of once per year, and maintained to ensure that the accuracy of the measurements is consistent with the accepted capability of that type of device. Records of flow measurement device calibration shall be kept on file by the Permittee for a period of at least three years. At a minimum„ data to be included in this documentation shall be: a. Date of flow measurement device calibration b. Name of person performing calibration c. Percent from true flow PIans and specifications for the flow measuring device shall be prepared by a licensed Professional Engineer and submitted to the appropriate regional office 30 days prior to installation. The flow measuring device shall be installed within 1 year of the date of this permit. The effluent from the subject facilities shall be monitored by the Permittee at point prior to irrigation every January, April, and September for the following parameters: BOD5 TSS Fecal Coliform pH NH3 as N Sodium Magnesium Sodium Adsorption Ratio by Calculation Calcium 3 4. Adequate records shall be maintained by the Pernttee 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. 5. Freeboard in the lagoon shall be recorded weekly. 6. Three (3) copies of all monitoring data (as specified in condition III 2 and III 3) on Form NDMR-1 and three (3) copies of all operation and disposal records (as specified in condition III 4, and 1115) on Form NDAR-I shall be submitted monthly on or before the last day of the following month. All information shall be submitted to the following address: NC Division of Water Quality Water Quality Section Nan -Discharge Compliance/Enforcement Unit 1617 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617 7. A representative annual soils analysis (Standard Soil Fertility Analysis) shall be conducted on each irrigation field and the results maintained on file by the Permittee for a minimum of five years. The Standard Soil Fertility Analysis shall include, but is not necessarily limited to, the following parameters: Acidity Manganese Potassium Calcium Percent Humic Matter Sodium Copper pH Zinc Magnesium Exchangeable Sodium Percentage Phosphorus Cation Exchange Capacity Base Saturation (by calculation) 8. Noncompliance Notification: The Permittee shall report by telephone to the Washington Regional Office, telephone number (252) 946-6481, 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. 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. 4 Occurrences outside normal business hours may also be reported to the Division's Emergency Response personnel at telephone number (800) 662-7956, (800) 858-0368, or (919) 733-3300. Persons reporting such occurrences by telephone shall also file a written report in letter form within five (5) 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. IV. GROUNDWATER REQUIREMENTS Monitor wells MW-1, MW-2, MW-3, MW-4 and MW-5 shall be sampled every January, April, and September for the parameters listed below. Prior to sampling the parameters, the measurement of water levels shall be taken. 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 relative to a common datum. Water Level pH (field) Nitrate (NO3-N) TotaI Organic Carbon (TOC) Total Anwmonia-Nitrogen (NH3-N) Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Chloride Fecal Coliform Volatile Organic Compounds — (in September only) Chemical Oxygen Demand 2. For Total Organic Carbon (TOC), if concentrations greater than 10 mg/1 are detected in any down - gradient monitoring well, additional sampling and analysis shall be conducted to identify the individual constituents comprising this TOC concentration. Any exceedances of this naturally occurring TOC concentration in the down -gradient wells shall be subject to the additional sampling an analysis as described above. 3. For Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) sample in September, use only one of the following methods: 1) Standard Method 623OD, Practical Quantitation Limit (PQL) at 0.5 µg/L or less 2) Standard Method 6210D, PQL at 0.5 µg/L or less 3) EPA Method 8021, Low Concentration, PQL at 0.5 µg/L or less 4) EPA Method 8260, Low Concentration, PQL at 0.5 µglL or less 5) Another method with prior approval by the Groundwater Section Chief Any of the referenced methods used for VOCs shall, at a minimum, include all the constituents listed in Table VIII of Standard Method 6230D. Any method used shall provide a PQL of at 0.5 µg/L or less, which shall be supported by laboratory proficiency studies as required by the DWQ Laboratory Certification Unity. Any constituents detected above the Method Detection Limit (MDL) but below the PQL of at 0.5 µg/L shall be qualified (estimated) and reported. 4. Any laboratory selected to analyze parameters shall be Division of Water Quality (DWQ) certified for those parameters required. All reports and documentation (GW-1, GW-30, GW-59) shall be mailed to the following address: Groundwater Section Permits and Compliance Unit 1636 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1636 Updated blank forms (GW-1, GW-30, GW-59) may be downloaded from the Groundwater Section's website at http://gw.ehnr.state.ne.us/ or requested from the address mentioned above. 6. The results of the sampling and analysis shall be received on Form GW-59 (Groundwater Quality Monitoring: Compliance Report Form) by the Groundwater Section (address listed in Condition N.S. above) on or before the last working day of the month following the sampling month. The data of all groundwater sampling analyses required by the permit conditions shall be reported using the most recent GW-59 Form along with attached copies of the laboratory analyses. 7. Waste application activities should not occur when the vertical separation between depth of application and the water table is at less than three (3) feet. Verification of the water table elevation can be confirmed by water level readings obtained from monitor well(s) near the site or auger boring(s), which shall be done within 24 hours, prior to application of wastewater. Any open borings shall be properly filled with native soil, prior to application to decrease the chance of any waste contaminating groundwater. The lagoon shall have either a liner of natural material at least one (1) foot in thickness and having a hydraulic conductivity of no greater than I x 10-6 centimeters per second when compacted, or a synthetic liner of sufficient thickness to exhibit structural integrity and an effective hydraulic conductivity no greater than that of the natural material liner, according to 15A NCAC 2H. 0219(f). 9. The COMPLIANCE BOUNDARY for disposal systems shall be as specified by regulations in 15A NCAC 2L (i.e., "Groundwater Classifications and Standards"). The Compliance Boundary for disposal systems individually permitted after December 30, 1983 shall be established at either (1) 250 feet from the waste disposal area, or (2) 50 feet within the property boundary, whichever is closest to the waste disposal area. An exceedance of groundwater quality standards at or beyond the Compliance Boundary shall be subject to immediate remediation action in addition to the penalty provisions applicable under North Carolina General Statute § 143-215.6A(a)(1). 10. In accordance with 15A NCAC 2L, a REVIEW BOUNDARY shall be established around the disposal system 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. 11. 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 sun -unary 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 or other permitting authority. 3. Any duly authorized officer, employee, or representative of the Division 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. VI. 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 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 in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 143- 215.6A to 143-215.6C. 5. The issuance of this permit does not exempt 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, including but not limited to applicable river buffer rules in 15A NCAC 2B .0200, erosion and sedimentation control requirements in 15A NCAC Chapter 4 and under the Division's General Permit NCG010000, and any requirements pertaining to wetlands under 15A NCAC 2B .0200 and 2H .0500. 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 Conmission 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. The subject wastewater treatment and disposal facilities shall be connected to an operational publicly owned wastewater collection system within 180 days of its availability to the subject facilities, if the subject wastewater treatment or disposal facilities are in noncompliance with the terms and conditions of this non -discharge permit or the governing statutes or regulations. Prior to the initiation of these connection activities, appropriate approval must be received from this Division. Permit issued this the 25th day of July, 2003 ]NORTH CAROLi� NVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION W. Klirmek, P.E., Director Division of Water Quality By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission Permit Number WQ0007507 7