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EPA Raises Additional Objections to Draft Permit for Gary Works
10/19/2007 - The U.S. EPA outlines three more objections to the draft wastewater discharge permit proposed by the State of Indiana for U.S. Steel’s Gary Works, following initial objections raised by EPA earlier this month.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlined three more objections to the draft wastewater discharge permit the State of Indiana has proposed for U.S. Steel’s Gary Works. EPA had raised initial objections to the permit in a letter sent earlier this month.
EPA's three additional objections, which were communicated in a second letter to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, involve compliance schedules, Indiana's anti-degradation requirements, and cooling water intake structures.
Specifically, the fact sheet for Indiana's draft permit does not show that a one-year compliance schedule is appropriate for installing continuous thermal monitoring equipment or that a three-year schedule is necessary for complying with thermal discharge limits.
Also, while the draft permit includes new discharge limits on several pollutants such as chromium, cadmium, copper, nickel, silver, cyanide, total toxic organics and hexavalent chromium, and total recoverable chromium, it is unclear whether this meets the anti-degradation requirements of Indiana's water quality standards.
Finally, according to the EPA, the draft permit also lacks requirements that reflect the best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental impacts from the cooling water intake structure.
EPA had originally raised objections on how discharge limits were set for several types of pollutants in its Oct. 1 letter to IDEM; the letter also included objections to the inclusion of other compliance schedules in the draft permit. All EPA objections have been raised during the review period provided by federal regulations. This is part of the federal overview of wastewater discharge permits for major facilities.
Under federal rules, IDEM may not issue the permit over EPA objections. EPA will continue to work with IDEM to revise its draft permit to ensure full compliance with federal law and EPA regulations.
EPA's three additional objections, which were communicated in a second letter to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, involve compliance schedules, Indiana's anti-degradation requirements, and cooling water intake structures.
Specifically, the fact sheet for Indiana's draft permit does not show that a one-year compliance schedule is appropriate for installing continuous thermal monitoring equipment or that a three-year schedule is necessary for complying with thermal discharge limits.
Also, while the draft permit includes new discharge limits on several pollutants such as chromium, cadmium, copper, nickel, silver, cyanide, total toxic organics and hexavalent chromium, and total recoverable chromium, it is unclear whether this meets the anti-degradation requirements of Indiana's water quality standards.
Finally, according to the EPA, the draft permit also lacks requirements that reflect the best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental impacts from the cooling water intake structure.
EPA had originally raised objections on how discharge limits were set for several types of pollutants in its Oct. 1 letter to IDEM; the letter also included objections to the inclusion of other compliance schedules in the draft permit. All EPA objections have been raised during the review period provided by federal regulations. This is part of the federal overview of wastewater discharge permits for major facilities.
Under federal rules, IDEM may not issue the permit over EPA objections. EPA will continue to work with IDEM to revise its draft permit to ensure full compliance with federal law and EPA regulations.
