NC0042285_Draft Permit_20210824

ROY COOPER
Governor
ELIZABETH S. BISER
secremry
5, DANIEL SMITH
Atret'r4r
Christopher Lutes
The Trails Property Owners Association
The Trails Water and Sewer Board
P.O. Box 3270
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Dear Mr. Lutes:
t+IORTI-f CAROL NA
Erivlrohmerilal Qua* ry
August 24, 2021
Subject: Draft NPDES Permit NC0042285
The Trails WWTP
Grade II Biological WPCS
Orange County
Attached with this letter is a copy of the Draft NPDES permit renewal for your facility. Please review
this draft carefully to ensure thorough understanding of the requirements and conditions it contains. We
understand from your renewal application that there have been no significant changes to the treatment
system. There are a few changes in the draft from the existing permit. These changes are summarized
below.
• Regulatory Citations — Language has been added where necessary in the permit to provide
regulatory citations for permit requirements.
• Electronic Reporting — Permit language has been modified to be consistent with the finalization
of federal requirements for electronic reporting.
The Trails WWTP has been subject to a significant number of compliance actions over the last permit
cycle. This includes two Notices of Deficiency, thirty-two Notices of Violation and twenty-seven
enforcement actions. In discussions with our Raleigh Regional Office staff it seems that a number of
these issues were the result of recordkeeping problems and inaccuracies in data submitted in the eDMR
system. These issues could be lessened with more focus on operational documentation efforts. If you
would like to discuss these issues our staff are available to set up a time for discussion.
The NPDES standard conditions (Parts II, III, and IV) that are a part of the permit are not included in this
draft document (cover, map, and Part I). The conditions are the same as in your current permit. The latest
version of the standard conditions is available at https://bit.ly/3k5NFaL and can be viewed online or
downloaded as a PDF file.
�QE
North Cnrn3lru Impartment of 1 nvIranmentalQualttIr nor Weiler iloN4iarrer
512 North 5alkrhury Sired 11417 Mall Service Center I kileIgh, Nw1 h CArn1 '176 ' I0It
414,707,1000

Christopher Lutes
The Trails WWTP- Draft Permit
Page 2
Concurrent with this notification the Division is publishing a notice in a newspaper having general
circulation in the Orange County area soliciting public comments on this draft permit. Please provide
any written comments you may have to me no later than 30 days after receipt of this draft permit
Following the 30-day public comment period, the Division will review all pertinent comments and take
appropriate action prior to issuing a final permit. If you have questions concerning this draft permit,
please call me at [phone] or contact me by email at [e-mail]. At this time,
contact by email is the most effective method. If we need to set up a call to discuss any issues we can set
that up through email.
Sincerely,
uv, ?aovlif—
Bradley Bennett
Compliance and Expedited Permitting Unit
cc: NPDES Files - electronic
Raleigh Regional Office / Water Quality — electronic
Operator Certification Program/Maureen Kinney — electronic

Draft NPDES Permit NC0042285
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES
PERMIT
TO DISCHARGE WASTEWATER UNDER THE
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM
NPDES
In compliance with the provisions of North Carolina General Statute 143-215.1, other lawful standards
and regulations promulgated and adopted by the North Carolina Environmental Management
Commission, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended,
The Trails Property Owners Association
is hereby authorized to discharge wastewater from a facility located at the
The Trails WWTP
2704 Summerwind Road, Chapel Hill 27516
Orange County
to receiving waters designated as an unnamed tributary to Collins Creek in the Cape Fear River Basin,
in accordance with effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions set forth in Parts
I, II, III and IV hereof.
This permit shall become effective
This permit and authorization to discharge shall expire at midnight on April 30, 2026.
If the permittee intends to continue discharging at the facility beyond the term of this permit, a renewal
application must be submitted no later than October 2, 2025 (180 days before the expiration of this permit)
Signed this day
S. Daniel Smith, Director
Division of Water Resources
By Authority of the Environmental Management Commission
Page 1 of 7

Draft NPDES Permit NC0042285
SUPPLEMENT TO PERMIT COVER SHEET
All previous NPDES Permits issued to this facility, whether for operation or discharge are hereby
revoked, and as of this issuance, any previously issued permit bearing this number is no longer
effective. Therefore, the exclusive authority to operate and discharge from this facility arises under the
permit conditions, requirements, terms, and provisions included herein.
The Trails Property Owners Association
is hereby authorized to:
1. Continue to operate an existing 0.04 MGD tertiary contact wastewater treatment facility with
the following components;
• influent flow splitter box
• equalization basin
• two (2) aerobic activated sludge basins
• two (2) aerobic sludge digesters
• two (2) clarifiers
• two (2) tertiary filters
• tablet chlorinator
• clearwell/effluent tank with dechlorination
• mudwell/backwash storage tank
• effluent flow meter
The treatment system is located at The Trails WWTP, 2704 Summerwind Road, Chapel Hill, NC,
Orange County.
2. Discharge from said treatment works via Outfall 001, at the location specified on the attached map
into an unnamed tributary to Collins Creek [16-30-(0.5)], a waterbody currently classified WS-IV;
NSW waters located within Subbasin 03-06-04 [HUC: 030300020507] of the Cape Fear River
Basin.
Page 2 of 7

Draft NPDES Permit NC0042285
PART I
A. (1.) EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS AND MONITORING REQUIREMENTS
[15A NCAC 02B .0400 et seq., 02B .0500 et seq.]
Grade II Biological Water Pollution Control System [15A NCAC 08G.0302]
During the period beginning on the effective date of this permit and lasting until expiration, the
Permittee is authorized to discharge from outfall 001. Such discharges shall be limited, monitored and
reported' by the Permittee as specified below:
EFFLUENT CHARACTERISTICS
[Parameter Code]
LIMITS
MONITORING REQUIREMENTS 1
Monthly
Average
Daily
Maximum
Measurement
Frequency
Sample Type
Sample 2
Location
Flow (MGD)
50050
0.04 MGD
Continuous
Recorder
I or E
BOD, 5-day (20°C)
(November 1 — March 31)
C0310
10.0 mg/L
15.0 mg/L
Weekly
Composite
E
BOD, 5-day (20°C)
(April 1 — October 31)
C0310
5.0 mg/L
7.5 mg/L
Weekly
Composite
E
Total Suspended Solids (mg/L)
C0530
30.0 mg/L
45.0 mg/L
Weekly
Composite
E
NH3 as N (mg/L)
(November 1 — March 31)
C0610
4.0 mg/L
20.0 mg/L
Weekly
Composite
E
NH3 as N (mg/L)
(April 1 —October 31)
C0610
2.0 mg/L
10.0 mg/L
Weekly
Composite
E
Fecal Coliform 3 (#I100m1)
31616
200/100 ml
400/100 ml
Weekly
Grab
E
Total Residual Chlorine (TRC) 4 (pg/L)
50060
17 pg/L4
2/week
Grab
E
Temperature (°C)
00010
Monitoring & Report
Daily
Grab
E
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) (mg/L)
00300
Daily average not < 6.0 mg/L
Weekly
Grab
E
Total Phosphorus (TP) (mg/L)
C0665
Monitoring & Report
Quarterly
Composite
E
Total Nitrogen (TN) (mg/L)
C0600
Monitoring & Report
Quarterly
Composite
E
pH (su)
00400
Not < 6.0 nor > 9.0
Standard Units
Weekly
Grab
E
Fecal Coliform 3 (#/100m1)
31616
Monitoring & Report
Weekly
Grab
U & D
Temperature (°C)
00010
Monitoring & Report
Weekly
Grab
U & D
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) (mg/L)
00300
Monitoring & Report
Weekly
Grab
U & D I
Footnotes:
1. The permittee shall submit discharge monitoring reports electronically using the NC DWR's eDMR system [see A. (2)].
2. I = influent; E = effluent; U = upstream at least 100 feet from the outfall; D = downstream approximately 1 mile from
the outfall.
3. Fecal Coliform shall be calculated using the geometric mean, according to the procedure detailed in Part II. Section A.
4. The Division shall consider all effluent TRC values reported below 50 µg/L to be in compliance with the permit.
However, the Permittee shall continue to record and submit all values reported by a North Carolina certified laboratory
(including field certified), even if these values fall below 50 µg/1.
Conditions:
• There shall be no discharge of floating solids or foam visible in other than trace amounts.
Page 3 of 7

Draft NPDES Permit NC0042285
A. (2.) ELECTRONIC REPORTING OF DISCHARGE MONITORING REPORTS
[G.S. 143-215.1(b)]
Federal regulations require electronic submittal of all discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) and
program reports. The final NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule was adopted and became effective on
December 21, 2015.
NOTE: This special condition supplements or supersedes the following sections within Part II of this
permit (Standard Conditions for NPDES Permits):
• Section B. (11.) Signatory Requirements
• Section D. (2.) Reporting
• Section D. (6.) Records Retention
• Section E. (5.) Monitoring Reports
1. Reporting Requirements [Supersedes Section D. (2.) and Section E. (5.) (a)1
The permittee shall report discharge monitoring data electronically using the NC DWR's
Electronic Discharge Monitoring Report (eDMR) internet application.
Monitoring results obtained during the previous month(s) shall be summarized for each month and
submitted electronically using eDMR. The eDMR system allows permitted facilities to enter
monitoring data and submit DMRs electronically using the internet. The eDMR system may be
accessed at: https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr.
If a permittee is unable to use the eDMR system due to a demonstrated hardship or due to the
facility being physically located in an area where less than 10 percent of the households have
broadband access, then a temporary waiver from the NPDES electronic reporting requirements
may be granted and discharge monitoring data may be submitted on paper DMR forms (MR 1, 1.1,
2, 3) or alternative forms approved by the Director. Duplicate signed copies shall be submitted to
the following address:
NC DEQ / Division of Water Resources / Water Quality Permitting Section
ATTENTION: Central Files
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617
See "How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below.
Monitoring results obtained during the previous month(s) shall be summarized for each month and
reported via the eDMR system no later than the last calendar day of the month following the
completed reporting period. Regardless of the submission method, the first DMR is due on the last
day of the month following the issuance of the permit or in the case of a new facility, on the last
day of the month following the commencement of discharge.
Page 4 of 7

Draft NPDES Permit NC0042285
Starting on December 21, 2025 the permittee must electronically report the following compliance
monitoring data and reports, when applicable:
• Sewer Overflow/Bypass Event Reports;
• Pretreatment Program Annual Reports; and
• Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 316(b) Annual Reports.
The permittee may seek an electronic reporting waiver from the Division (see "How to Request a
Waiver from Electronic Reporting" section below).
2. Electronic Submissions
In accordance with 40 CFR 122.41(1)(9), the permittee must identify the initial recipient at the time
of each electronic submission. The permittee should use the EPA's website resources to identify
the initial recipient for the electronic submission.
Initial recipient of electronic NPDES information from NPDES-regulated facilities means the
entity (EPA or the state authorized by EPA to implement the NPDES program) that is the
designated entity for receiving electronic NPDES data [see 40 CFR 127.2(b)].
EPA plans to establish a website that will also link to the appropriate electronic reporting tool for
each type of electronic submission and for each state. Instructions on how to access and use the
appropriate electronic reporting tool will be available as well. Information on EPA's NPDES
Electronic Reporting Rule is found at:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/ 10/22/2015 -24954/national-pollutant-discharge-
elimination-system-npdes-electronic-reporting-rule
Electronic submissions must start by the dates listed in the "Reporting Requirements" section
above.
3. How to Request a Waiver from Electronic Reporting
The permittee may seek a temporary electronic reporting waiver from the Division. To obtain an
electronic reporting waiver, a permittee must first submit an electronic reporting waiver request to
the Division. Requests for temporary electronic reporting waivers must be submitted in writing to
the Division for written approval at least sixty (60) days prior to the date the facility would be
required under this permit to begin submitting monitoring data and reports. The duration of a
temporary waiver shall not exceed 5 years and shall thereupon expire. At such time, monitoring
data and reports shall be submitted electronically to the Division unless the permittee re -applies for
and is granted a new temporary electronic reporting waiver by the Division. Approved electronic
reporting waivers are not transferrable. Only permittees with an approved reporting waiver request
may submit monitoring data and reports on paper to the Division for the period that the approved
reporting waiver request is effective.
Information on eDMR and the application for a temporary electronic reporting waiver are found on
the following web page:
http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr
Page 5 of 7

Draft NPDES Permit NC0042285
4. Signatory Requirements [Supplements Section B. (11.) (b) and Supersedes Section B. (11.) (d)1
All eDMRs submitted to the permit issuing authority shall be signed by a person described in Part
II, Section B. (11.)(a) or by a duly authorized representative of that person as described in Part II,
Section B. (11.)(b). A person, and not a position, must be delegated signatory authority for eDMR
reporting purposes.
For eDMR submissions, the person signing and submitting the DMR must obtain an eDMR user
account and login credentials to access the eDMR system. For more information on North
Carolina's eDMR system, registering for eDMR and obtaining an eDMR user account, please visit
the following web page:
http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/edmr
Certification. Any person submitting an electronic DMR using the state's eDMR system shall
make the following certification [40 CFR 122.22]. NO OTHER STATEMENTS OF
CERTIFICATION WILL BE ACCEPTED:
"I certify, under penalty of law, that this document and all attachments were prepared under my
direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel
properly gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or
persons who manage the system, or those persons directly responsible for gathering the
information, the information submitted is, to the best of my knowledge and belief true, accurate,
and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information,
including the possibility of fines and imprisonment for knowing violations."
5. Records Retention [Supplements Section D. (6.)1
The permittee shall retain records of all Discharge Monitoring Reports, including eDMR
submissions. These records or copies shall be maintained for a period of at least 3 years from the
date of the report. This period may be extended by request of the Director at any time [40 CFR
122.41].
Page 6 of 7

The Trails Property Owners Association
The Trails WWTP
Receiving Stream: UT to Collins Creek Stream Class: WS-IV; NSW
River Basin: Cape Fear Sub -Basin: 03-06-04
Latitude: 35° 56' 28" Longitude: 79° 10' 25"
Stream Segment 16-30-(0.5) HUC#: 030300020507
Grid/Quad: D22NW / (White Cross) County: Orange
Facility
Location
(not to scale)
•
NORTH
NPDES Permit NC0042285
Page 7 of 7