Thursday, August 9, 2012

LPDES General Permit for Discharges Resulting from the Cleanup of Petroleum-Contaminated Sites.

The LDEQ, Office of Environmental Services, is accepting written comments on a draft LPDES General Permit for Discharges Resulting from the Cleanup of Petroleum-Contaminated Sites.
Coverage under this general permit shall be limited to facilities discharging treated groundwater, purge water from groundwater monitoring wells, tank wash water and ballast water, wastewater associated with the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soils and groundwater, dewatering releases associated with the excavation of petroleum-contaminated soils, and potentially contaminated storm water into surface waters of the state. In order to be covered as a permittee under this general permit, notification must be made to this Office by the owner or operator. Notification must be made on Notice of Intent (NOI) form PST-G or an approved equivalent form. Notification forms may be obtained by contacting this Office at (225) 219-9371 or (225) 219-5337 (Customer Service).
Proposed facilities desiring coverage under this permit must submit the NOI at least 14 days prior to commencement of discharge. After review of the submittal, this Office will issue written notification to those applicants who are accepted for coverage under the general permit. If the facility is in existence and has not been permitted, an NOI shall be submitted immediately. After review of the submittal, this Office will issue written notification to those applicants who are accepted for coverage under the general permit. Dischargers with individual LPDES or NPDES permits covering the discharges eligible for the general permit may apply for and be issued this general permit. Upon approval by this Office, the permittee will be notified of coverage by this general permit and of cancellation of the previous permit(s).
If eligibility conditions of the reissued permit are met, dischargers who are currently permitted under the LPDES version of this permit that expires on December 14, 2012, are not required to submit a new NOI provided there are no facility changes precluding applicability under the new permit. These permitted dischargers will be automatically covered under the reissued LPDES permit; permit conditions in the reissued permit are effective for these automatically authorized permittees three days after the postmark date of the notification of coverage. Any permittees covered by an individual permit may submit an NOI for coverage under this permit and request cancellation of the individual permit if the permitted source or activity is also eligible for coverage under this general permit. Upon approval by this Office, the permittee will be notified of coverage by this general permit and of cancellation of the previous permit(s).
An annual maintenance and surveillance fee will be assessed for this permit.
During the preparation of this permit, it has been determined that the discharges will have no adverse impact on the existing uses of the receiving waterbodies. As with any discharge, however, some change in existing water quality may occur.
Comments and requests for a public hearing or notification of the final decision can be submitted via personal delivery, U.S. mail, email, or fax. Comments and requests for public hearings must be received by 4:30 pm CST, Thursday, September 13, 2012. Delivery may be made to the drop-box at 602 N. 5th St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802. U.S. Mail may be sent to LDEQ, Public Participation Group, P.O. Box 4313, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313. Emails may be submitted to DEQ.PUBLICNOTICES@LA.GOV and faxes sent to (225) 219-3309.
This Department may issue general permits for certain categories of facilities or activities where individual permits are not necessary in order to adequately protect the environment or the public health. If LDEQ finds a significant degree of public interest, a public hearing will be held. LDEQ will send notification of the final permit decision to the applicant and to each person who has submitted written comments or a written request for notification of the final decision.
The draft permit and fact sheet are available for review at the LDEQ Public Records Center, Room 127, 602 North 5th Street, Baton Rouge, LA. Viewing hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (except holidays). The available information can also be accessed electronically on the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) on the DEQ public website at www.deq.louisiana.gov.
Inquiries or requests for additional information regarding this permit action should be directed to Kimberly Corts, LDEQ, Water Permits Division, P.O. Box 4313, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313, phone (225) 219-3208.
All correspondence should specify AI Number 87721, Permit Number LAG830000, and Activity Number PER2012001.