State officials are asking the public to weigh in on a draft water quality permit that would allow a critical step toward safely closing coal ash ponds at Duke Energy’s Rogers Energy Complex.
The proposed draft wastewater permit mandates increased discharge monitoring and includes requirements for removing the water from the facility’s three coal ash ponds, a first step toward decommissioning the impoundments. The Rutherford County plant is required to have a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, permit to discharge wastewater to the Broad River and Suck Creek.
The draft wastewater permit and related documents are available online at: https://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. Printed copies of the draft permit and related documents may be reviewed at the department’s Asheville Regional Office. To make an appointment to review the documents, please call 828-296-4500.
Public comment on the draft permit should be mailed to: Wastewater Permitting, Attn: Rogers Energy Complex, 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 “Rogers Energy Complex” in the email’s subject line.
All comments received by Nov. 10, 2016 will be considered in the final determination regarding permit issuance and permit provisions.
The state environmental agency will hold a public hearing to accept comments on the draft permit at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 at Boiling Springs Town Hall, 114 East College Ave., Boiling Springs, N.C. Speaker registration begins at 5 p.m.