The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has approved a permit for the Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Henderson County. The final permit was updated from the draft version to include more restrictive limits for certain pollutants and a limit on the plant’s maximum sewage treatment capacity.
Henderson County proposed the new wastewater treatment plant to serve existing residential and commercial properties in the unincorporated community of Edneyville as well as connecting three other nearby package plants. The proposed location is in Henderson County on half an acre off Fruitland Road, and the proposed discharge will be to Clear Creek, a class C stream in the French Broad River Basin. Clear Creek is listed as impaired for benthos on the 2022 North Carolina 303(d) list.
DWR’s public engagement process included a comment period and a public hearing held on Feb. 5. During the review process, DWR determined more information was needed to ensure the proposed discharge would be protective of the downstream water quality at both Clear Creek and Mud Creek, which is downstream of Clear Creek.
After considering comments received during the public engagement process and other factors, DWR approved a permit with some changes, including:
- maximum treatment capacity of 200,000 gallons per day;
- more stringent limits for five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and ammonia nitrogen to ensure protection of downstream water quality;
- a required annual study of in-stream impacts to biological integrity after discharge begins.
Based on an information request, Henderson County updated its cost analysis for the project, projecting the updated cost at $11.8 million after the addition of a filtration system needed to meet more stringent limits on pollution in the plant’s discharge.
The hearing officer’s report, which includes recommendations on the permit and a summary of comments received during the public hearing and comment period, as well as additional documents, can be found online.
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