The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) today issued the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater permit for Duke Energy Progress, LLC’s H.F. Lee Energy Complex in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The effective date is July 1, 2019 and the permit expires on March 31, 2024.
The permit is a renewal and modification to the 2009 permit issued for this facility. The facility has seen many changes since the 2009 permit. At that time, there were three coal-fired units and four oil-fueled generating units. These were retired in 2012. The coal-fired generating units and the oil-fueled combustion turbines have been demolished. The site now has three combined cycle combustion turbines and five simple cycle combustion turbines, all capable of firing oil and natural gas.
Duke Energy designated this site as one of the coal ash beneficiation sites where the coal ash at the site will be recycled and used in cement production. DEQ has issued an air permit for the beneficiation unit. The NPDES permit issued today includes a new outfall (Outfall 004) for the wastewater generated from the future coal ash beneficiation plant.
The facility discharges treated water from all outfalls to the Neuse River. Changes made to the permit following the recent comment period include:
- An increase in monitoring frequency for total arsenic, total selenium and total lead from monthly to weekly for Outfall 001.
- A new requirement to discontinue the discharge if the concentration of certain compounds reaches an established level.
To see the final permit and fact sheet, go to https://deq.nc.gov/duke/wastewater/permits. Printed copies of the permit and related documents may be reviewed at the department’s Washington Regional Office, located at 943 Washington Square Mall in Washington, N.C. To make an appointment to review the documents, please call (252) 946-6481.
NOTE: To be notified of permitting actions by Division of Water Resources, you may subscribe to the division’s listserv online at: https://lists.ncmail.net/mailman/listinfo/dwrpublicnotices.
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