RALEIGH – Officials with the state Department of Environmental Quality are initiating the public comment period for a draft proposed water quality permit for Duke Energy’s Sutton Steam Plant.
The New Hanover County facility is required to obtain a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, permit to discharge treated industrial wastewater and stormwater to Sutton Lake and the Cape Fear River in the Cape Fear River basin.
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 Wilmington Regional Office at 127 Cardinal Drive Extension, Wilmington. To make an appointment to review the documents, please call 910-796-7215.
Public comments on the draft permit should be mailed to: Wastewater Permitting, Attn: Sutton, 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 “Sutton” in the email’s subject line.
All comments received by June 22, 2017, will be considered in the final determination regarding permit issuance and permit provisions.
As part of the public comment process, the department will hold a public hearing to accept comments on the draft permit at 6 p.m. June 22 at the agency’s Wilmington Regional Office. Speaker registration starts at 5 p.m.
###