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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWQCSD0129_CEI Response_20190819AQU August 19, 2019 Mr. Rick Bolich, L.G., Assistant Supervisor Water Quality Regional Operations Raleigh Regional Office 1628 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1628 Re: Compliance Evaluation Inspection Barclay Downs WWTP, Wake County Permit No. WQCSD0129 Dear Mr. Bolich: ca w v rn O C':Q cn .� �> ram, C4 W � .� o � A � z a Aqua North Carolina, Inc. (Aqua) offers the following response to the above -referenced Compliance Evaluation Inspection which required a response to item 2) A copy of the O & G educational material distributed to customers, 4) North Carolina Administrative Code — T15A NCAC 02T .0305, and 10) Spill Response Action Plan. Am's Response: In response to item number 2, please see the attached O & G educational material distributed to Aqua customers. In response to item number 4, Aqua has applied the lift station name to the existing sign at Barclay Downs #1 on 8/1/19. In response to item number 10, please see the attached Spill Response Plan. If you have any Questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at (919) 653-6964. Sincere , l Robert Krueger Area Manager cc: Joseph Pearce Amanda Owens Shannon Becker 202 MacKenan Court, Cary, NC 27511 • 919.467,8712 • AquaAmerica.com AQUA. Important Notice to Customers About Your Wastewater Service Your community wastewater system — including a grinder pump if you have one — should be able to handle typical wastewater from your kitchen, bathrooms and laundry. Help Aqua keep your wastewater system running smoothly and keep costs down by only putting household wastewater down your home's drains and toilets. Please don't allow rainwater or groundwater to drain into the sewer collection system. This can lead to sewer back-ups at your home or overflows in the sewer system and plant. Please remember that basement sump pumps, gutters, and other storm water drains cannot be tied into the sanitary sewer system. Some chemicals and materials might cause operating problems and safety hazards. Toxic chemicals and excessive grease can hinder the biological sewer treatment process. Please check labels on chemicals before you dispose of them. Never put the following items down sinks or drains or flush them down toilets: • Wipes of any sort, which include flushable wipes • Grease • Explosive or flammable material • Kitty litter • Aquarium gravel • Chemicals or toxic, caustic or poisonous substances • Degreasing solvents • Diapers, feminine products, or cloth of any kind • Fuel, lubricating oil, paint thinner or antifreeze • Hair, rags, cleaning pads • Plastic objects • Seafood shells If these items clog your wastewater system, a backup could cause raw sewage to overflow into your home or your neighbor's home. Business owners: For a grease trap or interceptor to work correctly, it must be: • Designed, sized and manufactured to handle the expected amount of grease + Installed properly, level and vented + Cleaned and serviced on a frequent basis Do you have a Grinder Pump? A grinder pump works like a household garbage disposal, but on a larger scale. It grinds up wastewater produced in your home (i.e., toilet use, shower, washing machine, etc.) and pumps it into the public sewer system. A pump is used where gravity sewer lines cannot be used. A grinder pump is in a tank (or well) that is buried outside on a homeowner's property (grinder pump units also can be purchased for inside installation). When water is used in the house, wastewater flows into the tank. 202 MacKenan Court, Cary, NC, 27511 • 877.987,2782 0 AquaAmerica.com When the wastewater in the tank reaches a pre-set level, the pump turns on, grinds the waste and pumps it out of the tank to the homeowner's sewer line and into the sewer system. A grinder pump will normally run for one or two minutes and automatically turn off when the tank is empty. The pump is powered by electricity and is connected to a control panel near your electric meter. Why do some homes or businesses need grinder pumps? Wastewater usually flows by gravity from a property's sewer line to a sewer main where it travels to a wastewater treatment plant. If a property's sewer service line leaves the building at a lower elevation than the public sewer main, a grinder pump is sometimes used to grind and pump wastewater to the main line. (See diagram below.) GRAVI tY SEWER to PROMR1 V z LINE t r-- ACCCSSWAY AND COVER GAINULA PUMP UNI1 L: STORAGE TANK STREET - Aqua Service Main • Some chemicals and substances flushed down toilets or put down drains can damage a grinder pump and could cause safety hazards. • Please don't plant trees or shrubs near the household pump station — leave room to work on the pump if necessary. • Never attempt to open the tank cover or the electrical panel box. If the power fails at your home or business, your pump system will not operate until the power is restored. The tank is small, so limit flushing until the power is restored to avoid a backup or a spill. If an individuatpump system falls, the tank containing the pump will become too full. An audible alarm and a light in the alarm box on the outside of your home will automatically turn on. If this happens, you should stop water use to prevent an overflow or backup and call a certified technician, or call Aqua at 877.987.2782 if we have contractual obligations to maintain such service. If you plan to be away from home for more than a week, we suggest that you: Run water from an inside tap long enough for the pump system to begin working. After the pump turns on, turn the water off. The pump will run until the tank is empty and then shut off. This process will clean the pump and leave it filled with a minimum amount of clean water. Always leave the electrical power on. Some information adapted from the Water Environment Federation March 2019 NC Dept of Environmental Quality AUG 7 6 2019 A%j UAIZaleigh Standard Operating Procedure e .- Regional Qfrl Effective Date Aqua North Carolina, Inc. July 15, 2019 Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Revision 0 Signature Procedure Owner Director of Operations AA k Director of Environmental Compliance Direcp6r of Operations & Director of Environmental Compliance I. PURPOSE a. To effectively respond to and remediate sanitary sewer overflows to protect public health and the environment and to comply with all regulatory requirements b. Sanitary sewer overflows can be caused by numerous events and/or obstructions including substantial rain events, root intrusion, grease buildup, etc. The best practice to eliminate or minimize SSOs is through preventive maintenance. If an SSO does occur, It is the responsibility of the utility to respond as quickly as possible to mitigate the SSO and reduce and remove the hazard. It. DEFINITIONS a. Sanitary Sewer Overflow - Discharges of raw sewage from utility owned - sanitary sewer systems. SSOs can release untreated sewage onto streets, playgrounds, and into streams. SSOs are often caused by blockages In sewer lines, breaks in the sewer lines, or pump station problems. III. SCOPE a. This procedure applies to all employees that may deal with SSOs. At a minimum, these procedures will be reviewed on an annual basis or whenever revised guidance from state or federal authorities dictates a revision is necessary. IV. RESPONSE TIME REQUIREMENTS a. Upon notification of a spill or utility outage, operators or utility workers shall respond and take action to stop or prevent the release of untreated sewage. However, actions may not be taken which compromise the safety of Aqua personnel, contractors, or the public. Page 1 V. Procedure 1. Initial Service Call a) When a report of an SSO is received, the operator/utility worker shall notify the supervisor immediately and advise he/she is responding to the SSO report. 2. Initial Response a) The operator/utility worker shall respond immediately and confirm the SSO. Responder shall notify their supervisor (or after-hours on -call Supervisor). Supervisor is required to report to the site Immediately. If the Supervisor cannot report to the site Immediately, then he/she must contact their Area Manager immediately. If the Area Manager is not available, the Director of Operations must be contacted immediately. The Supervisor (or the replacement supervisor) is the Incident commander and takes complete control of the event and remediation. The Collection System ORC must also report to the spill site within twenty-four hours of spill notification. b) The operator/utility worker shall take the following steps: ■ Stop the spill. ■ Contain the spill. ■ Clean-up the spill. c) The Incident Commander, Supervisor or designee, is authorized to use other Aqua staff and contractors to minimize the harm of the wastewater release. Contractors may be used for bypass pumping installation, vacuuming operations, and stream clean-ups. d) The Incident Commander shall notify the Area Manager of the SSO and the steps being taken to mitigate event and shall ensure the collection system ORC reports to the event asap (and within 24 hours of spill awareness). If the Area Manager is unavailable, then the Incident Commander shall notify the Director of Operations. e) Director of Environmental Compliance reserves the right to 3. Clean-up and Mitigation a) Rake or vacuum all wastewater and wastewater debris from spill area. b) Apply time to all land surface areas. Do not put time in any surface waters, i.e. streams, ponds, or lakes. c) Construction equipment may not be used in streams. In very rare instances_ earthen dams may be used in streams, but require Operations Director approval before installation. d) Rake, seed, and straw mulch any bare areas in the spit( zone. 4. Incident Commander Responsibility. A designated incident commander shall remain at the SSO site until the SSO is under control and remediation completed. if the event is anticipated to last longer than 8 hours, the incident commander shall notify his/her supervisor to ensure another incident commander is assigned for the next shift. The incident commander shall act to minimize public contact In the SSO area and will accompany any regulators during site inspections. Page 2 V. SSO REPORTING PROCEDURES Before any SSO is reported to the state, the ORC or the Backup ORC (if permitted) or supervisor (deemed systems) must visit and evaluate the spilt site within 24 hours (required by permit). Once evaluated, a panel consisting of the responding operators, ORC, and Incident Commanders) shalt discuss the spill, determine estimated volumes and determine causes. The Incident Commander contacts the Area Manager who will then discuss the event with the Director of Operations and the Director of Environmental Compliance. If the spill is over 1000 gallons or reaches surface waters It is reportable. Reportable spills must be called into NC DWQ within 24 hours of first knowledge of discharge. If possible, it is preferred to contact the DWQ-Regional Office during normal business hours. The Incident Commander must ensure the call is completed and documented. The Director of Operations and Director of Environmental Compliance expect notice prior to the contact with the state. Please note the state is required to be contacted within 24 hours of awareness of an SSO greater than 1000 gallons. If necessary, Press Releases (>1000 gallons to surface water) and Public Notices (>15,000 gallons to surface water) will be coordinated by the Director of Environmental Compliance with assistance from the corporate communications staff. 2. During weekends and holidays when DWQ cannot be reached, The Division of Emergency Management must be called at 1-800-858-0368. Upon arriving to work on the first business day after the spill, DWQ must be contacted and given the reported spill incident number. 3. Spill Written Reporting: a. ORC and/or responding operator drafts the DEQ — 5Day Report within 48 hours of the SSO. b. ORC forwards completed form to Incident Commander and Area Manager for review and comment. Corrections must be made within 24 hours. c. Area Manager provides 5-day report to Director of Environmental Compliance and Director of Operations within 72 hours of spilt. Director of Environmental Compliance, or designee, is responsible for submitting to DEQ within 5 business days of the event. d. These forms must be readily available to DEQ staff for three (3) years. Page 3 Summary of Reporting Requirements SSO Event Reporting Requirements Ail Discharges Immediately report to supervisor and ORC. Discharge >1,000 gallons Report to state within 24 hours, Spill Report faxed within 5 days Discharge to Waters of the State, Report to state within 24 hours, Spill Report faxed including storm drains within 5 days Discharge >1,000 gal to Surface 1. Report to state within 24 hours, Spill Report faxed Water within 5 days 2. Press release within 24 hours of first knowledge of SSO. Discharge of 15,000 gal or more 1. Report to state within 24 hours, Spill Report faxed to Surface Water within 5 days 2. Press release within 24 hours of SSO. 3. Public notice within 10 days and proof shall be provided to the Division within 30 days Page 4 Emergency Contact List Region Name Office Cellular Home Number Number Number Western Laurie ison 704-489- 704-507- 9404 5831 (57234) Western Duane 704-489- 704-507- 704-528- Rimmer 9404 3343 4224 (57225) Western Matt 704-489- 704-507- 803-810- Costner 9404 3413 5138 (57245) Western David 336-992- 336-880- McDaniel 9000 1115 Central Robert 919-653- 260-312- Krueger 6982 3269 Central Roger 919-653- 919-632- 919-757- Tupps 6966 6120 4252 Central Jackie 919-653- 919-624- Jackson 5773 2348 Central Lorrie 919-653- 919-625- Stagner 5776 2573 Central Peter - 919-625- 919-757- Rhodes 2635 2149 Coastal Joel 910-270- 910-620- Mingus 1412 6057 Coastal Chris 910-779- 910-635- 910-534- Collins 0794 7479 1184 Compliance Lori Lester 704-489- (Western) 9404 (57239) Compliance Mark 919-653- (EasternlCoastal) English .5779 Manager of Amanda 910-653- 910-773- Environmental Berger 6965 0406 Compliance Director of Joe Pearce 919-653- 919-605- Operations 6964 6991 President Shannon 919-653- Becker 577Q Page 5 1. 2. 0 Estimating by volume by "Eyeball Method" Utilizing pictorial reference below, determine which picture corresponds best with the overflow. (Courtesy: OCSD) Determine volume by multiplying the time by the flow rate found below the picture. For a more detailed determination please reference the following manual: a. https://www.ocsd.com/Home/ShowDocument?id=16226 Page 6 T4W.