WSR 15-17-086

[Filed August 18, 2015, 9:01 a.m.]

Permit: The Washington state department of ecology (ecology) will release a draft sand and gravel NPDES and state waste discharge general permit on September 9, 2015. Ecology will accept written and oral comments on the draft permit and supporting documents until 11:59 p.m., October 23, 2015.

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.

Permit and Supporting Documents: Beginning September 9, you may download a copy of the draft permit, fact sheet, and other supporting documents at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/sand/index.html.

Ecology Contact: Carrie Graul, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47696, Olympia, WA 98504-7696, phone (360) 407-6967, e-mail carrie.graul@ecy.wa.gov.

Submitting Written and Oral Comments: Ecology will accept written and oral comments on the draft permit and supporting documents. Ecology prefers comments to be submitted by e-mail. E-mailed comments must contain the commenter's name. Comments should reference the specific permit section and specific text when possible.

Submit written comments to Carrie Graul, Sand and Gravel General Permit Comments, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47696, Olympia, WA 98504-7696, e-mail carrie.graul@ecy.wa.gov.

Written comments must be postmarked by October 23, 2015. You must send e-mail comments by 11:59 p.m., October 23, 2015. You may provide oral testimony at the public hearing.

Hearings and Workshops: The public hearings and workshops on the permit will be held in Lacey, Spokane and via webinar. At the workshops ecology will explain the draft permit and answer questions. A hearing will follow each workshop. The hearings will provide the opportunity for formal oral testimony and comments on the proposed permit.

Workshops and Hearings: On October 5, 2015, at 9 a.m., Washington State Department of Ecology, 300 Desmond Drive, Lacey, WA 98503-1274; on October 5, 2015, at 9 a.m., via webinar, please visit http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/sand/index.html to sign-up; and on October 8, 2015, at 1 p.m., Washington State Department of Ecology, Eastern Regional Office, 4601 North Monroe, Spokane, WA 99205-1295.

Issuing the Permits: After ecology receives and considers all public comments, it will issue the final permit. Ecology expects to issue the permit in December 2015.