NPDES Wastewater Permitting Update 2015 NCMA Workshop Tom Belnick DWR/NPDES Permitting

Topics  Wastewater Organization  ATC requirement  Triennial Review implementation  Federal Updates  Mercury TMDL Implementation  Tips for compliance

Wastewater Organization  NPDES Complex Permitting Unit Individual Major Permits  NPDES Compliance/Expedited Unit Individual Minor Permits, General Permits, Compliance  Regional Offices Inspections, Compliance, Pump&Haul

NPDES Wastewater Permits  General Permits NCG50- non contact cooling water NCG51- GW remediation NCG59- WTP  Individual Permits Majors- 225 Minors- 1070

Authorization to Construct (ATC) Permit  ATC no longer required for WWTP construction at industrial facility  Session Law , effective 7/1/2011

Basis of Permit Limits  WQBELs Protect aquatic life, human health Consider WQS, dilution, RPA, etc  TBELs Based on industry treatment performance 40 CFR 400s

WQS Triennial Review Implementation  Dissolved Metals standards Exception: mercury, selenium Hardness dependent  Acute Limit/ 1Q10 dilution  Retain Action Levels (Cu, Zn, Cl, Ag)  Delete existing WQS for Mn, Fe  EPA status

Federal Effluent Guidelines Updates  40 CFR 403 Dental Amalgam/Pretreat  40 CFR 423 Steam Electric Power  40 CFR 435 Oil&Gas Extraction/Pretreat  Other Fed Actions CWA Section 316(b)- CWIS CWA- NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule

CWA Section 316(b)- CWIS  Rule effective Oct 14, 2014  Goal to reduce impingement/entrainment  Affected Entities All existing facilities with intake design > 2 MGD Use > 25% withdrawal for cooling purposes Actual Intake > 125 MGD requires special biological studies

CWA Section 316(b)- CWIS  Submittal Requirements Submit info listed under 40 CFR ( r) with NPDES permit renewal application  Alternative Submittal Request For permits expiring prior to 7/14/2018 Facility can request delayed submittal schedule if justified.

Electronic Reporting Rule  EPA Final Rule anticipated Dec 2015 Goal for improved efficiencies and greater transparency of information Proposed 1-year deadline to report eDMRs to State  DWR currently implementing Adding eDMR requirement to NPDES permit renewals- 270 day schedule

EPA ECHO Website  NC BIMS database; uploaded to EPA  EPA PCS/ICIS database  ECHO populated by ICIS  DMR reporting violations

Mercury TMDL Implementation  NC WQS= 12 ng/l (surface water)  EPA fish tissue = 0.3 mg/kg  Statewide Hg TMDL 2012 TMDL based on fish tissue TMDL sets limits from ng/l Annual Avg Emphasis on Mercury Minimization Plans Industry Evaluation

I can’t meet these limits !!!

Tips for Compliance  Read your Draft Permit & comment  Verify Effluent Data/RPA  Verify production data  Negotiate/Compliance schedules  Legal options

Stay Involved  WQ Standards/Triennial Review  EPA Effluent Guidelines  Know your receiving stream/Basin 303(d) List- Impaired waters TMDLs Stream classification Basin Plans

DWR/NPDES Contacts  NPDES Website Portal.ncdenr.org/web/wq/swp  Dissolved Metals- Julie Grzyb  eDMR- Vanessa Manuel  316(b) – Sergei Chernikov  Permitting- Tom Belnick 