Friday, August 26, 2016

Public asked to weigh in on Duke Energy environmental permits

RALEIGH
Aug 26, 2016

State officials are seeking public feedback on proposed draft water quality permits for two Duke Energy facilities located in Person County.

The state environmental agency has drafted National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, permits for wastewater discharges at the Mayo Steam Electric Generating Plant, which discharges to Mayo Reservoir and the Roxboro Steam Electric Generating Station, which discharges to Hyco Reservoir. Both facilities are located in the Roanoke River basin.

The public comment period for both draft wastewater permits begins Aug. 26 and ends Nov. 4. All comments received by the comment period closing date will be considered in the final determination regarding permit issuance and permit provisions.

Public comments on the draft wastewater permits should be mailed to: Wastewater Permitting, Attn: Mayo Permit or Roxboro Permit, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C., 27699-1617.

Public comments may also be submitted by email to: publiccomments@ncdenr.gov. Please be sure to include either “Mayo” or “Roxboro” in the email’s subject line.

The draft wastewater permits and related documents are available online at: http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/water-resources-hot-topics/dwr-coal-ash-regulation/duke-energy-npdes-permits-for-facilities-with-coal-ash-ponds/duke-energy-npdes-modifications-renewals.

As part of the public comment period, the department will hold a public hearing in October to gather feedback on the draft permits. The public hearing for both Duke Energy facilities is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Person County Government Building, 304 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, N.C. Speaker registration will begin at 5 p.m.