Proposed Permit: The Washington state department of ecology (ecology) is proposing to reissue the water treatment plant general permit (permit). This permit is a national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit.

State and federal water quality statutes and regulations do not allow the discharge of pollutants to waters of the state without permit coverage. The activities of certain water treatment plants that produce drinking water or provide industrial water may present a potential risk from their discharge of pollutants into waters of the state. Therefore, these facilities require a discharge permit. When the permitted activities conducted by a specific class of industries are similar, ecology issues a general permit to cover all of them rather than issuing a series of individual permits.

Purpose of the Permit: The water treatment plant general permit covers the discharge of treated backwash effluent from water treatment filtration processes that produce potable or industrial supply water at a rate of at least thirty-five thousand gallons per day. The permit addresses various legal requirements and responsibilities, and regulates the discharge of pollutants to protect water quality in Washington state.

Copies of the Draft Permit: You may download copies of the draft permit and the fact sheet from https://ecology.wa.gov/Regulations-Permits/Permits-certifications/Water-treatment-plants. You may also request copies of these documents from Jim Maroncelli at James.Maroncelli@ecy.wa.gov or 360-407-6588.

Submitting Written Comments: Ecology will accept written comments on the draft permit and fact sheet until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. Ecology prefers that comments be submitted via eComments, which is accessible at http://ws.ecology.commentinput.com/?id=WEPBM. Ecology will also accept comments in a letter format mailed directly to the ecology contact identified below. Comments should reference specific permit text when possible.

You must provide comments before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. Written comments must be postmarked no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. If you have questions, contact Jim Maroncelli by email or telephone.

Ecology Contact: Jim Maroncelli, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47696, Olympia, WA 98504-7696, phone 360-407-6588, email James.Maroncelli@ecy.wa.gov.

Workshop and Public Hearing: The purpose of the workshop is to explain the general permit and to answer questions prior to the formal public hearing. The purpose of the hearing is to provide an opportunity for people to give formal oral testimony and comments on the proposed draft permit. Oral testimony will receive the same consideration as written comments. The public workshop will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. The public hearing will begin immediately following the public workshop and will conclude when public testimony is complete.

The workshop and hearing on March 26, 2019, at 10:00 a.m., may be attended either in person at the Washington State Department of Ecology, 300 Desmond Drive, Lacey, WA 98503-1274, or as a webinar, where individuals may view the presentation and provide testimony via computer or mobile device. To register for the webinar go to https://bit.ly/2RvvmNU. Once the host approves your request, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the meeting.

Issuing the Permit: Ecology will make the final decision on permit issuance after ecology receives and considers all public comments. If public comments cause a substantial change in the permit conditions from the original draft permit, another public notice of draft and comment period may ensue. Ecology expects to issue the general permit in the summer of 2019.