March 15, 2024 – Tell NCDEQ to make sure new clear water EPA rules from 2022 are followed.
There’s a key permit called NCG01 that deals with managing dirty water and soil erosion at construction sites. This permit is going to run out on March 31, 2024. It’s the basic rule that makes sure builders control mud and erosion. In places where there’s no local rule for controlling this stuff, this permit is all you need.
We’re asking the person in charge of permits, Paul Clark, to make sure new clear water rules from 2022 are followed. These rules say water cleared from muddy areas shouldn’t be too dirty, staying under a specific murkiness level set by law.
UPDATE March 22, 2024:
…diving deeper…
NC Department of Environmental Quality has stated that they do plan to conduct a formal stakeholder process because they do not “not intend to make major changes to [this] permit for this upcoming renewal and instead is focusing on introducing a combined electronic application process for DEQ E& SC approval and NCG01/ NCG25 coverage and making the new system successful for all permittees”
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), is a program created under the Clean Water Act in the United States. The purpose of the NPDES program in NC is not to be successful for all permittees, but to ensure North Carolinians clean water. These permits are extremely important to protect our waters from sediment pollution, the #1 pollutant by volume in North Carolina.
We are submitting comments to permit writer Paul Clark (Email him HERE!) to urge the agency to incorporate rules adopted in the 2022 EPA Turbidity Standards. These standards set a requirement that sediment basins being dewatered must not exceed a weekly average of 50 NTU, which is the turbidity standard set by the Clean Water Act.
We are working with other Riverkeepers across the state to draft a comment letter, so stay tuned for in depth talking points. We urge anyone who has concerns about sedimentation pollution in our streams to take part in this comment period.
Muddy water alert! Send in YOUR comments to keep our waterways clean!