Final Issuance of the Washington State Department of Ecology Water Treatment Plant General Permit
Permit Issuance: The water treatment plant (WTP) general
permit, issued by the Washington state department of ecology
(ecology) on June 16, 2004, expired [expires] on July 15,
2009. Ecology reissued the general permit, with minor changes
on July 15, 2009. The effective date of the permit is
September 1, 2009.
Purpose of the Permit: The WTP general permit is a statewide permit providing permit coverage for thirty-two water treatment plants. Water treatment plants under this permit treat water through filtration processes producing a finished water for drinking or for industrial activities. The filtration process removes silt, organics, microorganisms, and other impurities, trapping this material in the filter. Periodically, plant operators back-flush filters to remove the trapped material and restore filtration capacity. Other wastewaters are generated through routine cleaning. Treatment plants typically treat these wastewaters using settling basins. Potential pollutants include fine silt, and trace amounts of organics, microorganisms, additives and other impurities removed during filtration as well as additives. Additives may include chlorine, chemicals to adjust pH, and chemicals that enhance the removal of impurities in the water.
Public Notice Process: Ecology accepted written and oral comments on the draft WTP general permit, fact sheet, and fact sheet addendum from May 6, 2009, through June 9, 2009. Ecology hosted a public hearing on the draft general permit in Lacey, Washington, on June 8, 2009. Ecology received no public comments on the draft permit or associated documents.
Applying for Coverage: Facilities covered under the existing WTP general permit are automatically covered under the reissued permit. 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 http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/wtp/index.html.
Requesting Copies of the Permit: You may download copies of the permit and associated documents from the web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/wtp/index.html. You may request copies from Julie Robertson at (360) 407-6575 or by e-mail jrob461@ecy.wa.gov.
Ecology Contact: Carey Cholski, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47775, Olympia, WA 98504-7775, phone (360) 407-6279, e-mail cgru461@ecy.wa.gov.
Appeal Options: The terms and conditions of this general permit may be appealed only by filing an appeal to the pollution control hearings board and by serving it upon ecology at the addresses below. Appeals of the general permit must be made within thirty days of issuance or receipt, whichever is later (see chapter 43.21B RCW). 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; or the Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.
The terms and conditions of a general permit, as they apply to an individual discharger, are also appealable within thirty days of the effective date of coverage of that discharger, in accordance with chapter 43.21B RCW. This appeal is limited to the general permit's applicability or nonapplicability to a specific discharger.