The N.C. Division of Water Resources will host a public hearing to gather comments on six draft wastewater discharge permit renewals for mines in Avery and Mitchell counties. The facilities discharge treated industrial ore mining wastewater to the North Toe River in the French Broad River basin. This advisory includes a correction to the hearing venue address.
The public hearing will be held on May 2 at 6 p.m. at the Mitchell Senior Center, 152 Ledger School Road in Bakersville. Speaker registration will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The draft wastewater permits and related documents are available for review at:
NC0000175 Sibelco NA Quartz Facility
NC0000361 Sibelco NA Schoolhouse Facility
NC0084620 Sibelco NA Crystal Facility
NC0085839 Sibelco NA Red Hill Facility
NC0000353 The Quartz Corp K-T Feldspar Corp. Facility
NC0000400 The Quartz Corp The Feldspar Corp. Facility
The documents may also be reviewed at the division’s Asheville Regional Office. To make an appointment to review the documents, please call 828-296-4500.
Public comments on the draft permit modifications may be also submitted by mail to: DWR Wastewater Permitting, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1617. Public comments may be submitted by email to: publiccomments@ncdenr.gov. Please be sure to include “North Toe Mines” in the email’s subject line or comments may not be routed to the correct office for review.
The public comment period on the draft permits ends May 3, 2019.
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