PUBLIC NOTICE
N.C. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
NOTICE OF EXTENDED PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD AND PUBLIC HEARING ON INTENT TO MODIFY NPDES WASTEWATER PERMIT #NC0026441

PERMIT REOPENER
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Resources (DWR), is reopening and proposes to modify the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System wastewater permit for the Siler City Wastewater Treatment Plant owned by the Town of Siler City (P.O. Box 769, Siler City, N.C. 27344), Chatham County, to add nitrogen limits and associated requirements to the permit conditions. The facility discharges treated industrial and domestic wastewater to Loves Creek, a nutrient-impaired waterway in the Cape Fear River basin. Biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen, total residual chlorine, phosphorus, cadmium and total nitrogen are water-quality limited in the permit. This wastewater discharge may impact future allocations to the receiving stream.

The draft wastewater permit and related documents are available online at: https://bit.ly/2QZUGPI. Printed copies of the documents may also be reviewed at DWR’s Raleigh Regional Office. To make an appointment to review the documents, please call 919-791-4200.

PUBLIC HEARING
DWR invited public comment on the draft permit starting Oct. 25, 2018, with a comment period end date of Nov. 24, 2018. The comment period end date has now been extended a second time to Jan. 31, 2019. Pursuant to NCGS 143-215.1(c)(3) and Regulation 15 NCAC 02H, Section .0100, the division director has determined that it is in the public interest to hold a hearing to receive additional public comment on the proposed permit action. Therefore, a public hearing on the draft permit is planned for 6 p.m. Jan. 24, 2019 at the Siler City Town Hall Courtroom, 311 N. 2nd Avenue, Siler City, N.C. Speaker registration will begin at 5:30 p.m. DWR will consider all comments received by Jan. 31, 2019 in making its final determination for permit action.