Hearing tonight targets failing sewage treatment plants in Neuse basin

The following release is from the Neuse River Foundation:

NPDES Permit Challenge June 19
Contact: Upper Neuse Riverkeeper,
Dean Naujoks – 919-412-0129

Neuse River Foundation has requested a public hearing to address six failing sewage and industrial treatment plants in the Neuse River Basin. Upper Neuse Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks will be challenging the renewal of several National Pollution Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permits for dischargers who have consistently failed to meet permit requirements and water quality standards at a Public Hearing scheduled for June 19 at 7 P.M.

Since 2000, NRF has challenged 25 NPDES permits involving the most chronic violators in the Neuse River Basin. We have been successful making improvements or adding additional provisions in 22 out of 25 discharge permits we have challenged. Citizen input is an important part of the NPDES permit review process as permits are often renewed over and over again, with no regard to the histories of violations, unless citizens object.

For example, Southern Granville County Water and Sewer Authority’s sewage treatment plant, formerly Butner, has had a long history of compliance problems that have contributed directly to declining water quality in Falls Lake — a drinking water supply for 400,000 Wake County Citizens. Since 2003, this plant has received 86 Notice of Violations or enforcement actions by the state, totaling more than $61,000 in fines and penalties. Falls Lake was listed as impaired from pollution on the states 303d “Impaired Waters” list.

It is time for these facilities to comply with the Clean Water Act and protect our water resources. A strong public turn out sends an important message to the NC Division of Water Quality that status quo permit renewal is not acceptable.

To see the official announcement of the hearing, including all permits to be discussed, go to:
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/NPDES/documents/NoticeofHearing-NeusePermits-2008.pdf

Comments on SGWASA and other draft permits can be brought to the Thursday evening hearing, emailed to James.McKay@ncmail.net or mailed to:
Ms. Dina Sprinkle
NC Division of Water Quality/ NPDES Unit
1617 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1617

June 19th, 7:00PM at the Archdale Building - Ground Floor Hearing Room
512 North Salisbury Street
Raleigh, North Carolina

Comment period extended on Raleigh's groundwater pollution request

The state has extended to Nov. 5 the comment period on Raleigh's request that it be exempted from requirements to clean up extensive groundwater pollution near its wastewater treatment plant, the News & Observer reports. The nitrate contamination that was caused by decades of sloppy sewage application practices is now seeping into the Neuse, which is already one of the nation's most pollution-endangered rivers.

The city has asked the state for a permit variance that would allow it to skirt cleanup requirements, but environmental advocates including the Upper Neuse Riverkeeper are calling on the state to deny the request. To weigh in on the matter, click here. You can also send comments to David Hance, DENR-DWQ Planning Section, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1617; call (919) 733-5083; or e-mail david.hance@ncmail.net.

Tell Raleigh to clean up its Neuse-threatening pollution

As the News & Observer reported this week, Raleigh officials are trying to weasel out of requirements that they clean up nitrogen contamination leaching from the city's sewage sludge fields into the Neuse. It's critical that citizens who care about the health of the river -- which has already been named one of the nation's most endangered -- weigh in against this environmentally irresponsible plan.

Due to decades of careless spraying of sludge on fields near the sewage treatment plant, the city contaminated over 1,000 acres of land as well as groundwater with nitrates -- the single biggest groundwater pollution incident ever recorded in North Carolina. The state finally required Raleigh to stop applying sludge to the land in 2002 after several private drinking wells nearby were found to be contaminated with nitrates, which can cause potentially fatal blue baby syndrome as well as damage to the spleen.

The wells have since been abandoned, and the city now provides drinking water to their owners. But if Raleigh does nothing to address the pollution it caused, more than 120,000 pounds of nitrogen are expected to leach from the site into the Neuse each year over the next 30 to 40 years. That's more nitrogen than is currently dumped in the river by Apex, Benson, Butner, Cary, Clayton, Johnson County, Wake Forest and Zebulon combined. The contamination of rivers with excess nitrogen -- a process known as "eutrophication" -- promotes excess algae growth, suffocates river life, and can even create health problems for downstream communities that rely on the river for drinking water by interfering with treatment processes.

The city is currently seeking a variance for its plant permit that would allow it to avoid cleaning up the pollution and simply let the nitrogen pollution seep into the river. Upper Neuse Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks with the Neuse River Foundation is urging concerned citizens to weigh in with the state's Environmental Management Commission and Raleigh city officials and call for the variance request to be denied. The state is accepting comments through Friday, Oct. 5. (PLEASE NOTE: This deadline has been extended to Monday, Nov. 5.) To send a message, click here.

Revised permit for Raleigh's sewage treatment plant concerns Neuse Riverkeeper

Late last month, Upper Neuse Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks of the Neuse River Foundation got a copy of the revised permit for Raleigh's sewage treatment plant from the state Division of Water Quality. What he found in it troubles him -- and it should trouble anyone else who cares about North Carolina's environmental health.

Located in southeastern Wake County, Raleigh's sewage plant came under scrutiny in 2002 for spraying too much sludge on farmland around the facility, contaminating the groundwater -- including at least 39 nearby residential wells -- with nitrates. Those chemicals have been linked to health problems including "blue baby syndrome," a condition in infants that interferes with the blood's ability to carry oxygen.

At the time, Naujoks called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate, alleging environmental violations and unethical management practices at that plant and also at the city's water treatment plant in North Raleigh. "I believe a full investigation would show there were violations of the Clean Water Act at both facilities and that there was an ongoing policy of repression and intimidation throughout public utilities which ultimately led to a variety of illegal environmental activities," he wrote.

The city eventually paid more than $80,000 in state fines for worker safety and environmental violations, and Mayor Charles Meeker issued a public apology to people whose wells were contaminated.

In 2003, the NRF challenged the plant's permit and pushed for revisions to limit discharges of nitrogen, which besides nitrification of drinking water also causes harmful algal blooms, outbreaks of Pfiesteria and other serious ecological disturbances. While the state did revise the plant's permit to address some issues related to nitrogen, it did not require additional nitrogen reductions. Furthermore, it lifted previous limits placed on heavy metal and cyanide pollution coming from the plant.

The permit took effect yesterday. Here is Naujoks' reaction, taken from his 2006 Neuse River Update e-mail (bold emphasis mine):

The primary focus of the permit (change) is to address the 1000 acres of ground water contamination caused by over applying sludge. According to NC DWQ this is the largest ground water contamination in the state and is currently leaching 120,000 lbs per year (slowly decreasing over the next 30 years). This source of ground water contamination contributes more nitrogen per year to the Neuse River than the town of Apex, Benson, Butner, Cary, Clayton, Johnson County, Wake Forest and Zebulon combined.

The Neuse River Foundation challenged this permit in 2003 to address the additional nitrogen loading from the ground water by adding this allocation to the permit and working to offset the additional nitrogen (through additional reductions in the discharge from the plant or other means). While we are pleased the state agreed with us to allocate the additional nitrogen into the Raleigh permit (and the Neuse River Compliance Association Group Permit), no additional nitrogen reductions were required by the state. Heavy metal and cyanide limits were removed. The Clean Water Act of 1972 stipulates that an NPDES Permit must have effluent parameters set for heavy metals; cadmium, chloride, copper, silver, mercury and zinc (40 CFR 122.44(d)(1i). This permit, issued days before Christmas, will go into effect on January 1st with out the ability of the public to request additional reductions. We are pleased that Raleigh has spent more than $40 million in recent upgrades. Significant improvements have been made to the Raleigh WWTP since NRF uncovered multiple violations in 2002, but Raleigh could certainly do better on this front. At the very least, they should work toward additional nitrogen reductions either individually or through the Neuse River Compliance Association (by simply adhering to EPA Guidelines). They have refused. You may see a press release on their plant recently being approved to the National Bio Solids program. I just hope we keep this all in perspective.

This is not a good way for the city to kick off the New Year. It's admirable that Mayor Meeker was willing to apologize for past problems caused by the plant, but his gesture would be much more meaningful if he also took aggressive steps to reduce the amount of pollution the city is dumping into the Neuse now and in the future.