Heidelberg Materials is seeking renewal of the water discharge permit for its Geneva Plant in Phelps, with state regulators proposing to keep the existing pollution limits, monitoring and reporting requirements in place.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation published the renewal notice Oct. 28 and is accepting written comments or requests for a hearing through Nov. 27.
The plant, operated by Heidelberg Materials Northeast LLC, is at 2046 Preemption Road, also known as County Road 6. DEC classifies the facility in the renewal notice as a construction sand and gravel operation.
The permit covers a discharge to a tributary of Canandaigua Outlet. The receiving water is designated Class C, a classification intended to support fisheries and noncontact recreation.
Existing limits would remain
DEC intends to process the application as an administrative renewal of the plant’s State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, commonly known as a SPDES permit.
The agency says the current effluent limits and monitoring and reporting requirements would remain unchanged. The pending action therefore concerns continuation of the existing permit conditions.
The notice lists a miscellaneous waste flow of 0.2300 million gallons per day, equivalent to 230,000 gallons. That listing does not establish the plant’s measured discharge on any particular day.
New York’s SPDES program regulates wastewater discharges to surface water and groundwater. Permits must meet applicable water quality standards and limits on effluent, the water released from a facility.
DEC’s general guidance distinguishes renewals from changes that require a permit modification. Such changes include increased wastewater volume, different contaminant limits, a relocated discharge point or a different type of wastewater treatment. Those changes require state authorization.
Renewal follows separate review process
Administrative renewal of a SPDES permit is classified as a Type II action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. That classification exempts the renewal from the law’s environmental impact analysis requirements.
It does not remove the discharge permit’s existing limits or the opportunity for public comment on the renewal. DEC’s notice specifically invites both written comments and written requests for a hearing before the Nov. 27 deadline.
The current permit, fact sheet, renewal application and supporting documentation may be obtained from or inspected at DEC’s central office in Albany. Priority-ranking information and an explanation of the permit ranking system are also available where applicable.
Comments due Nov. 27
Comments and hearing requests should identify SPDES permit NY0002917 and DEC application 8-3240-00006/00007.
They may be sent to Michael Schaefer, DEC Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, Fourth Floor, Albany, NY 12233-1750, or deppermitting@dec.ny.gov.
Schaefer can be reached at 518-402-4605 for information about the renewal and access to the supporting records.
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