Public Workshops and Hearings to Accept Comments on the
Revised Sand and Gravel General Permit
Purpose of the Sand and Gravel General Permit: The sand and gravel general permit provides coverage for industries located in Washington state that discharge process water, mine dewatering water, and storm water associated with sand and gravel operations, rock quarries, concrete batch plants, asphalt batch plants, and related mining and processing facilities. Under federal and state water quality law (Federal Clean Water Act and State Water Pollution Control Act), a permit is required for the discharge of wastewater. The proposed general permit addresses these legal requirements and controls the discharge of pollutants to protect surface water and ground water quality in Washington state.
A general permit is like an individual wastewater discharge permit except that it addresses a group of facilities as a whole. It implements the Federal Clean Water Act and State Water Pollution Control Act in a single permit. Individual facilities that receive coverage under the general permit are required to comply with the terms and conditions of the permit. Currently, nine hundred forty facilities are covered under the sand and gravel general permit.
Those facilities with activities designated by the following standard industrial classification (SIC) codes are required to comply with the sand and gravel general permit:
• 0811 Timber Tracts (sand and gravel point sources)
• 1411 Dimension Stone
• 1422 Crushed and Broken Limestone
• 1423 Crushed and Broken Granite
• 1429 Crushed and Broken Stone, Not Elsewhere Classified
• 1442 Construction Sand and Gravel
• 1446 Industrial Sand
• 1455 Kaolin and Ball Clay
• 1459 Clay, Ceramic, and Refractory Minerals, Not Otherwise Classified
• 1499 Miscellaneous Nonmetallic Minerals, Except Fuels
• 2411 Logging (sand and gravel point sources)
• 2951 Asphalt Paving Mixtures and Blocks
• 3273 Ready-Mixed Concrete
• Other related mining or mineral processing facilities
Applying for a Sand and Gravel Permit: Facilities covered under the existing sand and gravel general permit, who reapplied for a permit coverage, will be covered under the proposed permit unless notified by ecology. New or unpermitted facilities may obtain coverage under the general permit by submitting a complete permit application to ecology and satisfying all applicable public notice and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requirements (WAC 173-226-200). The application is available online at www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/ecy07031.html.
Requesting Copies of the Permit: Beginning July 7, 2004, you can request copies of the proposed permit and fact sheet or you can download copies from the website www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/sand/; or contact Jeff Killelea, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone (360) 407-6442, fax (360) 407-6426, e-mail jkil461@ecy.wa.gov.
Submitting Written and Oral Comments: Ecology will accept written and oral comments on the draft sand and gravel general permit and fact sheet. Comments should reference specific text when possible. Comments may address the following:
• Technical issues,
• Accuracy and completeness of information,
• The scope of facilities proposed for coverage,
• Adequacy of environmental protection and permit conditions, or
• Any other concern that would result from issuance of the revised permit.
Submit written comments to Jeff Killelea, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.
Written comments must be postmarked no later than midnight, Thursday, August 19, 2004. Oral comments can be made by attending and testifying at the public hearings.
Public Workshops/Hearings: The public workshops and hearings on the draft general permit will be held in Moses Lake, Washington on August 10, 2004, and in Lacey, Washington on August 12, 2004. The purpose of the workshops is to explain the general permit, what has changed from the previous permit, answer questions, and facilitate meaningful testimony during the hearing. The purpose of the hearings is to provide an opportunity for people to give formal oral testimony and comments on the proposed permit.
The August 10, 2004, workshop and hearing will be held at the Moses Lake Convention Center, 1475 Nelson Road N.E., Moses Lake, WA, (509) 766-1416, driving directions http://www.moseslakecc.com/visitor.html.
The August 12, 2004, workshop and hearing will be held at the Washington State Department of Ecology, 300 Desmond Drive, Lacey, WA, (360) 407-6000, driving directions http://www.ecy.wa.gov/images/offices/map_hq_swro.pdf.
Both public workshops and hearings will begin at 1:00 p.m. and conclude as soon as public testimony is completed.
Issuing the Final Sand and Gravel General Permit: The final permit will be issued after ecology receives and considers all public comments. If public comments represent a substantial departure from the scope or conditions in the original draft permit, another public notice of draft and comment period may ensue.
Ecology expects to issue the general permit on September 15, 2004. It will be effective thirty days later. When issued, a copy of the notice of issuance and ecology's responses to the comments will be sent to all persons who submitted written comment or gave public testimony.
If you have special accommodation needs or require a copy of the permit and fact sheet in an alternative format, please contact Jeff Killelea at (360) 407-6127. If you are a person with a speech or hearing impairment, call 711 or 800-833-6388 for TTY.