Announcing the Issuance of the Sand and Gravel General Permit
Permit Issuance: The Washington state department of
ecology (ecology) will issue the final sand and gravel
national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) and
state waste discharge general permit (permit) on August 4,
2010.
Purpose of the Permit: The purpose of the sand and gravel general permit is to control the discharge of pollutants from sand and gravel mining operations and related facilities into waters of the state. This general permit provides coverage for discharges of process water, stormwater, and mine dewatering water associated with sand and gravel operations, rock quarries and similar mining activities, including stockpiles of mined materials, concrete batch operations, and hot mix asphalt operations. The permit authorizes wastewater discharges to waters of the state of Washington subject to the permit conditions.
Public Notice Process and Comments: Ecology accepted public comments on the draft permit and fact sheet from January 20, 2010, until February 24, 2010. Ecology held a hearing and workshop in Lacey, Washington, on February 22, 2010. Ecology received comments from sixteen commenters during the public comment period and responded to comments in a response to comments appended to the fact sheet. The response to comments, permit, and the fact sheet are available for review at ecology's web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/sand/index.html.
Copies of the Permit: You may download the permit, response to comments, and fact sheet at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/sand/index.html.
You may request a copy of the permit, response to comments, and fact sheet from Julie Robertson at (360) 407-6575 or by e-mail at julie.robertson@ecy.wa.gov.
Ecology Contact: Gary Bailey, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone (360) 407-6433, fax (360) 407-6426, e-mail gary.bailey@ecy.wa.gov.
Appeal Options: The terms and conditions of this general permit, being issued August 4, 2010, may be appealed only by filing an appeal to the pollution control hearings board and by serving it upon the department of ecology at the addresses below. Appeals of the permit must be made within thirty days of issuance or receipt, whichever is later (see chapter 43.21B RCW). (RCW is the Revised Code of Washington.) The procedures and requirements for the appeal process are contained in RCW 43.21B.310. An appeal must be filed with the Pollution Control Hearings Board, P.O. Box 40903, Olympia, WA 98504-0903; and the Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.
The applicability of a permit coverage to a specific discharger is also appealable within thirty days of the effective date of coverage of that discharger, in accordance with chapter 43.21B RCW.