Document 6b7z5mYJyD3nL92VdLDXejrj1
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 4
ATLANTA FEDERAL CENTER 61 FORSYTH STREET
ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303-8960
ELECTRONIC EMAIL CONFIRMATION OF EMAIL RECEIPT REQUESTED
Kevin Hobbs McKee Wastewater Treatment Plant P.O. Box 219 McKee, Kentucky 40447 Khobbs67@yahoo.com
Re: Compliance Evaluation Inspection Report NPDES Permit No. KY0034444 McKee WWTP
Dear Kevin Hobbs:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection conducted a Compliance Evaluation Inspection on the McKee Wastewater Treatment Plant on July 19, 2023. The objective of the inspection was to assess the City's compliance with the Clean Water Act and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, and to evaluate the general condition of the facility. The inspection results have been summarized in the enclosed Compliance Evaluation Inspection Report.
The EPA appreciates the Town's cooperation and courtesy. If you have specific questions about the inspection report, please contact John C. Goodwin at (404) 562-8488. Please verify receipt of this letter and report by email at Goodwin.John@epa.gov.
Sincerely,
JAIRO
Digitally signed by JAIRO CASTILLO
CASTILLO
Date: 2023.09.25 16:52:17 -04'00'
Jairo Castillo, P.E., Chief
Wastewater Enforcement Section
Water Enforcement Branch
Enclosure
cc: Rob Miller Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection Robertl.miller@ky.gov
Internet Address (URL) http://www.epa.gov
United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Water Enforcement Branch 61 Forsyth Street, SW Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Compliance Evaluation Inspection Report Project No. CV-KY0034444 - 07192023 McKee Wastewater Treatment Plant Kentucky Highway 89 McKee, Kentucky 40447
NPDES Permit Number: KY0034444 Date of Inspection: July 19, 2023
Title and Approval Sheet Title: Compliance Evaluation Inspection City of McKee, KY, McKee WWTP
Approving Official:
JAIRO
Digitally signed by JAIRO CASTILLO
Date: 2023.09.25
_C_A_S__T_I_L_L_O____1_6:_52_:3_9 _-04_'0_0'_______________
Jairo Castillo, P.E., Chief
Wastewater Enforcement Section
Water Enforcement Branch
Inspector:
JOHN
Digitally signed by JOHN GOODWIN
Date: 2023.09.25
_G_O__O__D_W__I_N___1_7_:00_:0_7_-0_4'0_0_' _______________
John C. Goodwin, Environmental Engineer
Wastewater Enforcement Section
Water Enforcement Branch
COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023 Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Participants ................................................................................................................................................. 1 3. Facility Description .................................................................................................................................... 1 4. Inspection Procedures................................................................................................................................ 1 5. Findings & Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 2 A. Permit Review ...................................................................................................................................... 2 B. Records and Reports ............................................................................................................................... 2 C. Flow Measurement ................................................................................................................................. 2 D. Sampling ................................................................................................................................................. 2 E. Site Visit (Operation and Maintenance) ................................................................................................ 3 F. Sludge Handling ..................................................................................................................................... 6 G. Effluent and Receiving Water................................................................................................................ 6 6. Discussion................................................................................................................................................... 6 7. Attachment A: DMR Violations July 20, 2020 to July 20, 2023............................................................ 7
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1. Introduction
On July 19, 2023, representatives of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KYDEP) conducted a Compliance Evaluation Inspection (CEI) on the McKee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), owned and operated by the City of McKee (City). The inspection was conducted under the authority of Section 308 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), as amended. This report provides a summary of the inspection.
2. Participants
Name John C. Goodwin Charles Jackson
Organization EPA Region 4 City of McKee, WWTP
Email Goodwin.John@epa.gov casnally@gmail.com
Jessie Gray
City of McKee, WWTP
Lpiper8215@yahoo.com
Robert Miller
KYDEP
robertl.miller@ky.gov
Walter Brumley
KYDEP
walter.brumley@ky.gov
Kevin Hobbs
City of McKee
Khobbs67@yahoo.com
3. Facility Description
The WWTP was established prior to 1967. It is an activated sludge wastewater treatment plant that consists of a single bar screen headworks, aeration basins, primary clarifiers, secondary clarifier, sludge digesters, nitrification basin, a chlorination chamber, and drying beds. It discharges into Indian Creek less than 100 feet from the facility. Charles Jackson is the class II operator and Jessie Gray has recently been transferred from the drinking water plant to assist at the WWTP. A facility diagram provided by KYDEP showed that the new plant is the aeration basin located on the west side of the facility and the old plant was the aeration basin on the east side.
4. Inspection Procedures
The overall objective of this CEI was to evaluate the condition and operational performance of the WWTP and the City's self-monitoring program and to offer compliance assistance as needed. Specific tasks included conducting an opening conference, interviews with WWTP staff, reviewing Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) and other WWTP records, conducting a site visit throughout the WWTP, and a closing conference.
COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
5. Findings & Conclusions
The City has been in Significant Non-Compliance (SNC) for effluent limit exceedances in multiple quarters of the last three years due to effluent violations of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), nitrogen ammonia, and total suspended solids (TSS). The WWTP did not appear to be well managed.
A. Permit Review
The City's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit has an effective date of August 1, 2021, and an expiration date of July 31, 2026. The WWTP is classified as a minor (less than 1.0 MGD discharger) and there are no permitted flow limits.
The facility could not locate a copy of the permit during the inspection. KYDEP and site representatives contended that a copy may be located at McKee City Hall instead of the WWTP's office. KYDEP submitted a copy to EPA for review following the inspection.
B. Records and Reports
EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database shows the City has been in Significant Noncompliance for exceeding NPDES effluent limits for BOD5, nitrogen ammonia and TSS. The WWTP has also failed to meet the permit limits for E. coli, dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids, and solids removal. Attachment A identifies over 122 violations within the 3 years prior to the inspection.
The review of records during the inspection included the timeframe back to the state's last inspection on April 25, 2023. The facility did not have an updated Operations & Maintenance Manual, operator logs, and was missing the DMR submittal for May 2023.
C. Flow Measurement
The WWTP maintains an ultrasonic flowmeter at the chlorination chamber. There is no permit limit on the flow and the facility officials could not provide the design limit.
D. Sampling
The composite samplers used for influent and effluent samples were not in operation. Operator Charles Jackson only pulls grab samples that he sends off as composite samples for analysis by Mineral Lab. Charles did not know how to operate the influent or effluent sampling units and eventually admitted that the effluent sampler had been down for about 6 months and the influent sampling unit had been inoperable for about 2 years. KYDEP performed a total residual chlorine (TRC) test at the effluent outfall to Indian Creek. The TRC sample analysis resulted in a .33 mg/L result. The permit effluent limitation for TRC is 0.011 mg/L. Charles Jackson stated that the pump at the chlorination chamber had locked up the day before the inspection and that he had not yet tuned the proper dosage on the dechlorination agent. The amount of sodium sulfite was increased during the inspection and a second TRC test yielded a .02 mg/L result.
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COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
Figure 1: Photo of the effluent composite sampling unit that appeared to have not been used recently.
E. Site Visit (Operation and Maintenance) The new plant aeration basin and old plant aeration basin have blower supplied air. Some of the diffusers on the new plant appeared to be clogged. Specks of black were observed in the aeration chamber which may signify the unit is going septic. The facility operators manually clean the bar screen and the final clarifier's skimmer box. Floating solids that bypass the bar screen are collected daily in the aeration basins. No backup power supply is located at the WWTP.
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COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
Figure 2: Photo of WWTP headworks
Figure 3: Photo of New Plant
Figure 4: Photo of Old Plant. 4
COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023 The final clarifier had some algae growth. The facility cleans the unit regularly. Some water was not going over sections of the weirs and there were leaks beneath the top as well. The weirs need to be repaired or modified so that the outflow distributes evenly across top of the weirs.
Figure 5: Photo of the final clarifier. The chlorination chamber appeared to be a slightly small for the size of the operation and the Captor dechlorination agent drip was placed in an area very close to the discharge point of the chamber.
Figure 6: Photo of the chlorination chamber. 5
COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
During the inspection, questions concerning the operations and process of the WWTP could not be directly answered by the operators. Kevin Hobbs was present during the end of the inspection to assist. Though he is not employed at the WWTP, he serves as a representative of the City and demonstrated a greater understanding of the process and permit requirements.
F. Sludge Handling The waste activated sludge is pumped to the Digester Tank once per week. The sludge is transferred from the digester to one of the five drying beds as needed and eventually land applied. The digested sludge was last transferred to a drying bed approximately a month prior to inspection according to Charles Jackson. Two of the drying beds had vegetative growth.
G. Effluent and Receiving Water The City is permitted to discharge effluent from Outfall D-001 to Indian Creek. The discharge point was inspected, and no apparent signs of distress were observed. 6. Discussion The EPA recommends the following:
Ensure proper dosing of chlorine and sulfur sulfite in the chlorination chamber to meet permit requirements.
Clean or repair diffusers for the aeration basins. Obtain a permit copy to be kept onsite. Perform proper composite sampling as required by the facility's NPDES permit. Maintain Operator Logs for better management of the WWTP's process and proper
documentation. Update the O&M manual for continuous, safe, and efficient operation of the WWTP. Retain copy of DMR submittals for a minimum of 3 years. Perform repair on the clarifier weirs for proper water distribution.
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COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
Attachment A: DMR Violations July 20, 2020 to July 20, 2023
Parameter Desc Oxygen, dissolved [DO] Oxygen, dissolved [DO] Oxygen, dissolved [DO] Solids, total suspended Solids, total suspended Solids, total suspended Solids, total suspended Solids, total suspended Solids, total suspended Solids, total suspended Solids, total suspended Solids, total suspended Nitrogen, total [as N] Nitrogen, total [as N] Nitrogen, total [as N] Nitrogen, total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N]
Limit Unit Desc Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L
Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day
Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L Mg/L Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day
Statistical Base Short Desc INST MIN INST MIN INST MIN MX WK AV MO AVG MO AVG MO AVG MO AVG MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV MO AVG MO AVG DAILY MX DAILY MX MO AVG MO AVG DAILY MX DAILY MX MO AVG MO AVG MX WK AV MX WK AV
Limit Value 7. 7. 7. 45. 42.5 42.5 42.5 42.5 63.8 63.8 63.8 63.8
4. 4. 6. 6. 5.7 5.7 8.5 8.5
Monitoring Period End Date
09/30/2021 05/31/2023 06/30/2023 07/31/2022 01/31/2022 12/31/2022 02/28/2023 03/31/2023 01/31/2022 03/31/2022 12/31/2022 02/28/2023 08/31/2021 09/30/2021 08/31/2021 09/30/2021 06/30/2022 07/31/2022 06/30/2022 07/31/2022 06/30/2022 07/31/2022 06/30/2022 07/31/2022
DMR Value 6.7 6.95 6.44 47.
94.21 202.4 50.6
43. 150.9 69.31 759.1 124.7
6.9 12.71 19.6 24.66 7.13
7.4 16.84 14.6
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COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
Parameter Desc Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Phosphorus, total [as P] Phosphorus, total [as P] Phosphorus, total [as P] Phosphorus, total [as P]
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli
Limit Unit Desc
Lbs/Day
Lbs/Day
Mg/L
Mg/L
Mg/L
Mg/L #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL
Statistical Base Short Desc
MO AVG
MX WK AV
MO AVG
MO AVG
DAILY MX
DAILY MX 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 30DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO
Limit Value 14.2 21.3
130. 130. 130. 130. 130. 130. 130. 130. 130. 130. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240. 240.
Monitoring Period End Date
12/31/2022
12/31/2022
08/31/2021
09/30/2021
08/31/2021
09/30/2021 09/30/2021 10/31/2021 11/30/2021 12/31/2021 01/31/2022 02/28/2022 03/31/2022 07/31/2022 09/30/2022 03/31/2023 08/31/2021 09/30/2021 10/31/2021 11/30/2021 12/31/2021 01/31/2022 02/28/2022 03/31/2022 04/30/2022 07/31/2022 08/31/2022 09/30/2022 10/31/2022 12/31/2022
DMR Value 14.7 54.2
6811. 618. 3304. 9917. 1057. 2574. 1327. 650. 232. 1272. 921. 60000. 60000. 60000. 60000. 60000. 60000. 60000. 304. 60000. 60000. 346. 60000. 1749.
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COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
Parameter Desc
E. coli BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carb-5 day, 20 deg C, percent removal BOD, carb-5 day, 20 deg C, percent removal BOD, carb-5 day, 20 deg C, percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal
Limit Unit Desc
#/100mL Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day
%
%
% % % % %
Statistical Base Short Desc 7 DA GEO MO AVG MO AVG MO AVG MO AVG MO AVG MO AVG MO AVG MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV MX WK AV
MO AV MN
MO AV MN
MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN
Limit Value 240. 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3 21.3
Monitoring Period End Date
03/31/2023 01/31/2022 02/28/2022 04/30/2022 08/31/2022 12/31/2022 02/28/2023 03/31/2023 09/30/2021 01/31/2022 02/28/2022 04/30/2022 07/31/2022 08/31/2022 12/31/2022 02/28/2023 03/31/2023
DMR Value 60000. 25.38 18.17 14.67 14.29 154.7 18.5 18.1 27.69 53.24 35.88 22.53 24.35 36.88 596.4 39.4 24.4
85.
08/31/2021
84.
85.
01/31/2022
71.
85.
02/28/2022
77.
85.
08/31/2021
41.
85.
09/30/2021
58.
85.
10/31/2021
37.
85.
11/30/2021
66.
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COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
Parameter Desc Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, total suspended Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N] Nitrogen, ammonia total [as N]
E. coli
E. coli
E. coli BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C]
Limit Unit Desc % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % %
Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day #/100mL #/100mL #/100mL
Mg/L Lbs/Day
Statistical Base Short Desc MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MX WK AV MO AVG MX WK AV MX WK AV 30DA GEO 7 DA GEO 7 DA GEO MX WK AV MO AVG
Limit Value 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 85. 63.8 5.7 8.5 8.5 130. 240. 240. 15. 14.2
Monitoring Period End Date
12/31/2021 01/31/2022 03/31/2022 05/31/2022 06/30/2022 07/31/2022 08/31/2022 09/30/2022 10/31/2022 11/30/2022 12/31/2022 01/31/2023 02/28/2023 03/31/2023 04/30/2023 05/31/2023 06/30/2023 03/31/2021 05/31/2021 05/31/2021 07/31/2021 11/30/2020 11/30/2020 07/31/2021 07/31/2021 12/31/2020
DMR Value 65. . 65. 56. 83. 53. 63. 33. 84. 84. 49. 70. 41. 40. 76. 59. 58.
65.45 8.21 15.81 8.63 1736. 60000. 278. 26. 14.99
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COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION REPORT City of McKee WWTP, Project # CV- KY0034444 - 07192023
Parameter Desc BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carbonaceous [5 day, 20 C] BOD, carb-5 day, 20 deg C, percent removal BOD, carb-5 day, 20 deg C, percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal Solids, suspended percent removal
Limit Unit Desc
Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day Lbs/Day
%
% % % % % % % % % % % %
Statistical Base Short Desc MO AVG MO AVG MO AVG MX WK AV MX WK AV
MO AV MN
MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN MO AV MN
Limit Value 14.2 14.2 14.2 21.3 21.3
Monitoring Period End Date
01/31/2021 02/28/2021 03/31/2021 01/31/2021 03/31/2021
DMR Value 14.76 14.71 16.12 25.1 25.69
85.
09/30/2020
82.
85.
07/31/2021
82.
85.
07/31/2020
80.
85.
08/31/2020
80.
85.
09/30/2020
81.
85.
10/31/2020
83.
85.
12/31/2020
55.
85.
01/31/2021
67.
85.
02/28/2021
63.
85.
03/31/2021
59.
85.
04/30/2021
65.
85.
06/30/2021
59.
85.
07/31/2021
73.
END OF REPORT
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