Officials with the state environmental department have extended a public comment period to obtain additional feedback on the draft wastewater permit for Duke Energy’s Allen Steam Station.
The Gaston County facility is required to have a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, wastewater permit to regulate discharges of treated industrial wastewater to the Catawba River and South Fork Catawba River. The draft permit includes provisions for decommissioning the plant’s coal ash pond as required by the state Coal Ash Management Act. In addition, the draft permit includes requirements for a thermal variance for discharges from the facility.
The draft wastewater permit 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. Printed copies of the draft permit and related documents may be reviewed at the department’s Mooresville Regional Office. To make an appointment to review the documents, please call 704-663-1699.
Public comments on the draft permit should be mailed to: Wastewater Permitting, Attn: Allen, 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 “Allen” in the email’s subject line.
The public comment period for the Allen Steam Station draft wastewater permit now ends Jan. 4, 2017. All comments received by that date will be considered in the final determination regarding permit modification and issuance.