UPDATE: New policy for the reporting and enforcement
of sanitary sewer overflows
On June 16th of this year, we notified you (click here for text of the letter) of an impending change of the policy for reporting and enforcement of sanitary sewer overflows. On Monday, October 20th, the Division of Water Quality issued the following letters instituting this change in policy. For more information, contact either Anita Watkins or John Spurrell at the League's office.
For those facilities with a System-wide Collection System Permit, click here .
For facilities that have not yet received a System-wide Collection System Permit, click here
You will be required to use the following reporting form .
Total Maximum Daily Load Rule Development
Eventually, all cities and towns that discharge wastewater into a surface water (river or stream) will have a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rules with which to comply. These TMDLs will govern how much of a particular substance; for example, nitrogen, -- may be contained in discharge of a waste treatment plant. For more information on the North Carolina TMDL program click here.
Phase II Stormwater Regulations
Final Permanent Rule Accepted by the Rules Review Commission:
For BMP manual, model ordinance, and universal stormwater permitting update see:
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/su/stormwater.html
In 1973 North Carolina legislation established a statewide program to control soil erosion and sedimentation. The law covers all land-disturbing activities, regardless of the size of the disturbance, except those involving agriculture, forestry, and mining, which are addressed in other legislation. The law and the rules do not specify a rigid set of practices; rather, they require the land developer to prepare an erosion and sedimentation control plan and employ appropriate measures to meet the performance standards ( 1 ).
The establishment of local sedimentation programs are granted by the Sediment and Erosion Control Commission which oversees the state program and all local programs. The Division of Land Resources is the administrative agency responsible for the program.
Microbial and Disinfection Byproducts
May 2004 Southern City article on Disinfectant/Disinfection Byproducts .
What are disinfection byproducts?
Disinfection byproducts are formed when disinfectants used in a water treatment plant react with bromide and or natural organic matter. Standards exist for 4 disinfection byproducts; trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, bromate and chorite.
Why were standards set for disinfection byproducts?
Disinfection byproducts have been shown to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals, and cause adverse reproductive or development effects in laboratory animals. The Environmental Protection Agency believes the epidemiological studies on chlorinated drinking water and on disinfection byproducts support a potential hazard concern and warranted regulatory action.
When were the standards adopted?
In 1998, EPA adopted Stage 1 of the Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule based on the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act adopted by Congress. Large surface water public water systems were required to comply with the new standard by December 2001. The standard became effective for small surface water and all ground water systems in December 2003. Stage 2 of these rules are currently being finalized and will be required to be implemented within one or two years of publication, depending on the number of people served.
Although the disinfection byproducts rules will be, perhaps, the most onerous for water systems to comply with, these DBP rules fit within a larger context of federal rules. For a complete description of the rules see EPA Drinking Water Priority Rulemaking: Microbial and Disinfection Byproduct Rules.
For state rules and guidelines see Stage 1 DBP's. For public notification requirements see Public Notification Rule.
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