NCS000009_Draft Cover Letter to Permittee_20190530

ROY COOPER
Governor
MICHAEL S. REGAN
Secretary
S. ©ANIEL SMITH
Interim Director
Mr. J. Dean Ahrens
SGL Carbon, LLC
307 Jamestown Road
Morganton, North Carolina 28655
Dear Mr. Ahrens:
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NORTH CAROLINA
Environmental Quality
May 30, 2019
Subject: Draft NPDES Stormwater Permit
Permit No. NCS000009
SGL Carbon, LLC
Burke County
The Division of Energy, Mineral, and Land Resources' Stormwater Program acknowledges receipt of
your renewal application for coverage under NPDES Permit Number NCS000009 on November 25,
2013. We apologize for the lengthy delay in responding to your submittal and are now making every
effort to process your permit renewal as expeditiously as possible.
Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the draft stormwater permit for your facility. Please review the
draft carefully to ensure a thorough understanding of the conditions and requirements it contains.
The draft permit contains these significant changes from the facility's current permit:
1. Total suspended solids (TSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and pH monitoring remains in
the permit. Monitoring has been added for copper, zinc, total hardness, and non -polar oil and
grease have been added based on potential pollutants from industrial activities. Benchmarks are
included for all parameters. Stormwater benchmarks are not permit limits but are guidelines for
implementing the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SPPP). A benchmark exceedance is
NOT a permit violation; however, the permittee must respond to exceedances as directed in the
Tiers.
2. You are required to collect analytical and qualitative monitoring samples during a "measurable
storm event" as defined in Part Il, Section B. This term is different from the "representative
storm event" in earlier permits.
3. "Non -Polar Oil & Grease" by Method 1664 (SGT-HEM) replaces Oil & Grease (previously only
monitored at vehicle maintenance areas).
4. Requirements for the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan have been updated in Part II, Section
A.
5. Part II, Section D contains Special Conditions that address electronic reporting of monitoring data
and a proposed requirement for the facility to identify and monitor at least three (3) internal
sampling points where stormwater can be sampled prior to commingling with cooling water
discharge.
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality I Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources
512 North Salisbury Street ( 1612 Mail Service Center , Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1612
• e+r� /' 919.707.9200

Please submit any comments to me no later than thirty (30) days following your receipt of the draft.
Comments should be sent to the address listed on the front page of this letter. If no adverse
comments are received from the public or from you, this permit will likely be issued in about two
months.
If you have any questions or comments concerning this draft permit, contact me at [phone] or
[e-mail]
Sincerely,
Bethany Georgoulias
Environmental Engineer
Stormwater Program
cc:- Asheville Regional Office/ I.,Reed
Stormwater Program
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