Public comment is open until July 15 on reissuing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, general permits for waste management systems at animal feeding operations.
The permits are being renewed because the existing general permits expire June 30, 2022, according to North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources.
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Copies of the draft permits and fact sheets are available on the NCDEQ website.
NPDES general permits are issued to facilities that are subject to coverage under federal NPDES concentrated animal feeding operations rules. Though the NPDES general permits are issued under federal regulations with effluent limitations guidelines, state NPDES general permits for concentrated animal feeding operations require that the operations still be designed, constructed, operated and maintained as nondischarge facilities.
Fewer than 20 facilities in the state are currently permitted under NPDES general permits.
The permits, which would be in effect through June 30, 2027, cover the following types of operations:
- NPDES General Permit NCA200000 for swine waste operations.
- NPDES General Permit NCA300000 for cattle and dairy waste operations.
- NPDES General Permit NCA400000 for liquid poultry waste management operations.
Each of the draft permits have the same conditions except the NPDES general permit for swine operations contain additional language related to new and expanding swine operations. The draft NPDES general permits are proposed to replace current NPDES general permits expiring June 30, 2022.
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To comment, email animalNPDES@ncdenr.gov, call 919-707-3702 or mail to Ramesh Ravella, NC Division of Water Resources, 1636 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1636.
