Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs) for the
NPDES General Permit for Utility Water Discharges

The Utility Water General Permit was reissued on June 28, 2000. The permit became effective on October 1, 2000 and expires on September 30, 2005. Contact Melinda Vickers at 803-898-4186 or by e-mail at vickermg@dhec.sc.gov if you do not find the answers to your questions on this site.

1. What is covered by the reissued Utility Water General Permit?

2. How do I get coverage under the Utility Water General Permit?

3. Do I have to monitor my discharge(s)?

4. Do I have to submit DMRs?

5. I use city water. Do I have to have Total Residual Chlorine (TRC) limits?

6. My discharge has a temperature higher than 90°F where I sample my cooling water and I will be unable to meet the limits. Can I get alternate temperature limits under the General Permit?

7. I use well water that has a pH that is outside the range of the limits in the permit. Do I still get pH limits? If so, can I get alternate pH limits and still get General Permit coverage?

8. How do I transfer coverage under this permit to a new owner?

The permit covers the following types of discharges with the following flow limitations:

A transmittal letter requesting coverage under the Utility Water General Permit and a completed Notice of Intent (NOI) form to be covered under the permit should be submitted along with any additional information that you wish the Department to consider.

Certain discharges are required to be monitored as shown below:

1. Discharges of once-through non-contact cooling water equal to or greater than a daily maximum of 5000 gallons per day.
   
2. Discharges of recirculated non-contact cooling water equal to or greater than a daily maximum of 2500 gallons per day.
   
3. Discharges of air washer water, steam condensate or boiler blowdown equal to or greater than a daily maximum of 1000 gallons per day.
   
4. Combined discharges of any of the covered discharges greater than a daily maximum of 2000 gallons per day.

Facilities that are required to monitor their discharges are required to complete Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs). DMRs are not required to be submitted under the reissued permit until 180 days before expiration of the permit. The DMRs are to be completed, signed, and maintained on-site and are only to be submitted with the renewal application (NOI). In place of submission of DMRs on a regular frequency, a yearly noncompliance report is due each year in October, beginning October 2001. A non-compliance report should be submitted each year whether or not violations have occurred during that year.

The use of city water does not exempt you from TRC limits. City water typically has high levels of chlorine to make it suitable for drinking. Unfortunately, aquatic organisms are sensitive to chlorine so that unlimited discharge of chlorine cannot be allowed, even if the facility does not add chlorine to its water directly. We will determine the need for TRC limits based on factors such as the amount of TRC in your discharge, the distance and flow path to the receiving water, any treatment provided, and other pertinent information. This determination is specific to each facility's discharge.

My discharge has a temperature higher than 90°F where I sample my cooling water and I will be unable to meet the limits. Can I get alternate temperature limits under the General Permit?

The limits for temperature are to protect the aquatic life in the receiving water. If you discharge to a ditch, you may benefit from conducting some sampling along the length of the ditch to show that the temperature has lowered before it reaches the receiving water. If you discharge to a holding pond, you may be able to show through calculations that after the pond, temperature is no longer high enough to be a concern. Mixing with storm water after sampling may dilute the cooling water enough so that the temperature will not impact the receiving water. The Department may, in some situations, impose a less stringent limit, no limit, or require monitoring at an alternate location to collect data to show temperature will not be a problem. The determination is specific to each discharge scenario.

The use of well water does not eliminate the need for pH limits. Well water may have a pH that would be outside the stream standards for a certain waterbody type, but that does not necessarily mean that the stream has the same characteristics. A demonstration that the stream pH is similar to the ground water pH would be necessary to show that an alternate pH limit might be appropriate. Treatment to neutralize the pH might be necessary in some situations.  The determination is specific to each discharge scenario.

The permit is not transferable. This means that the permittee and the proposed owner must both make a submission to the Department. The permittee must submit a Notice of Termination (NOT) for his coverage under the permit. The NOT is a letter including the items required by Part VII of the permit. The proposed owner should submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) form to be covered by the general permit. He should include a transmittal letter requesting coverage, the completed NOI and any additional information that he may want the Department to consider. The responsibility of the permit remains with the original permittee until this process is completed.