Document DG0ZwGj66kZZaR7VewQw1erd5

NPDES Stormwater Inspection Report National Database Information Inspection Date: November 15, 2023 Inspection Type: Stormwater Industrial Entry/Exit Time: 08:00 - 10:00 NPDES ID Number: Unpermitted SIC Code: 5032 - rock wholesale Inspection ID: 202311_Unpermitted Lead inspector and affiliation: Lisa-kay Prideaux, U.S. EPA Region 8, Montana Office Facility Location Information (Name/Location/ Mailing Address) Site/Facility Name & Location: Mail Report to: Western Stone, LLC Dan Fischer 18789 US Highway 93 18789 US Highway 93 Lakeside, Montana 59922 Lakeside, Montan 59922 Contact Information Facility Contacts: Name(s)/Title Dan Fischer - Western Stone, LLC, Owner (not present) Keaton Fischer - Western Stone, LLC, Sales (present) Tribal Representative(s): Evan Smith, Water Quality Regulatory Specialist, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (present) Person/Company meeting definition of "Operator" Dan Fischer - Western Stone, LLC, Owner (not present) Permit Information Is the permit on site and available? Unpermitted Effective Date: Unpermitted Latitude: 47.84675 Date NOI Submitted: Unpermitted Expiration Date: Unpermitted Longitude: -114.326382 Receiving Water(s): Flathead Lake Regulatory Inspector's source of information: Montana Cadastral, facility representatives and field observations. Site Information Nature of Project Residential Commercial/ Roadway Industrial Weather conditions during inspection: Overcast, 33F Private Federal State/ Other Municipal Areas Evaluated During Inspection Permit Records/Reports Facility Site Review Effluent/Receiving Waters Flow Measurement Self-Monitoring Program Compliance Schedule Pollution Prevention Laboratory Western Stone, LLC Unpermitted Page 1 of 3 Report Review and Signature Drafter Address/Phone Number Digitally signed Prideaux by Prideaux, LisaKay , LisaKay Date: 2024.02.28 16:21:36 -07'00' Reviewer Name U.S. EPA Region 8, Montana Operations Office 10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200 Helena, Montana 59626 406-457-5022 Address/Phone Number U.S. EPA Region 8 Brit Rustad 1595 Wynkoop Street 8ENF-W-NW Management Signature/Name Denver, Colorado 80202 303-312-6885 Address/Phone Number EMILIO Digitally signed by EMILIO LLAMOZAS LLAMOZAS 16:13:37 -07'00' Date: 2024.02.28 U.S. EPA Region 8 1595 Wynkoop Street 8ENF-W-NW Denver, Colorado 80202 Emilio Llamozas 303-312-6407 Date 02/28/2024 Date 2/27/2024 Date 2/28/2024 Inspection Narrative and Site Description On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspector Lisa-kay Prideaux, and the Water Quality Regulatory Specialist for the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes, Evan Smith, conducted an announced inspection to evaluate compliance with the Clean Water Act and EPA regulations. The inspection commenced at approximately 08:00, when Lisa-kay and Evan arrived at the facility and presented credentials and identification to Keaton Fischer, Sales Manager of Western Stone, LLC (facility). Throughout the inspection, observations and photograph descriptions were documented. All photographs taken during the inspection are included in the attached photo log and are maintained by EPA in accordance with the Quality Assurance Field Activities Procedure and Standard Operating Procedure. Western Stone, LLC is a stone quarry, extracting and cutting natural Chief Cliff Stone. The natural stone is made available to landscapers, homeowners, stone masons, and contractors, for residential and business, indoor and outdoor enhancements. The quarry was established in the 1940s by Anderson Masonry and was purchased by Western Stone, LLC in the late 1990s. Western Stone, LLC does not own the land (Jenson Family Trust) but has the rights to the stone. The quarry produced stone by blasting and cutting rock to various sizes and sorting in piles for sale. Western Stone does not blast within the quarry any longer, only sorting and selling the stone already blasted. The facility also has the ability to cut stone to specific order. The site inspection included a guided walk through the facility by Mr. Fischer as he explained the process. Mr. Fischer started the tour in the only building on site which houses a rock saw (photo 790). Mr. Fischer Western Stone, LLC Unpermitted Page 2 of 3 stated that when the saw is in operation, there is a small sprayer on the front of the saw (visible in the photo) which sprays water onto the rock to limit the amount dust created. Water falls onto the floor which is slightly sloped to the west (right of photo) where there is a trough in the concrete floor to capture water and transport it to one of three underground settling tanks. Outside of the building to the northwest of the building, there are a few dry storage boxes (photo 791). Atop the closest one, sits a red fuel tank for the on-site vehicles only. It was unclear if secondary containment existed for the tank. The photo also shows a white PVC pipe coming from behind the first storage box and up onto a wooden frame. This piping is from the on-site well, which transports water from the well to the saw, when required, for dust control. We then walked around the back of the building (south side) where the three underground settling tanks were located (photos 792 & 793). Mr. Fischer stated the tanks are connected, and water from the saw building enters the west (right) tank and flows toward the east tank. There is a pump located in the east tank (seen in photo 793) which pumps the water from the top of the tank back to the saw for re-use. If there is not enough clear water from the tank, the saw spray is augmented with the well water. Mr. Fischer also stated the tanks are cleaned out of sediment and rock shavings as needed, by a haul truck and the sediment/shavings are used as fill material on-site. We then walked around the top platform edges to view stacked piles of rock and rock-chip piles on the top platform as well as other platforms in various areas of the site (photos 794, 795, and 797). There was a tractor located on the top platform which had a PVC water tank with a perforated pipe attached; this is used for dust control on the platform as well as the roadway system as needed (truck seen in photo 795). Mr. Fischer stated the truck water tank is filled using the well water. As we walked around, I noted there was no evidence of a discharge at the time or evidence of a past discharge from the site. The internal road system is constructed to slope inward, and ditches are constructed to convey water to the next platform area (photo 796). All ditches observed were heavily vegetated and/or had rock liners to slow the volume and velocity of any stormwater. A closing conference was held with Mr. Fischer at the end of the site tour. The facility is not currently mining rock, and the only activity currently on site is the wholesale of rock, therefore a stormwater industrial permit is not required at this time. If the facility begins to mine and/or process rock again, the facility should contact EPA to assess potential permit coverage. Attached to this report is an EPA Industrial Stormwater Fact Sheet for Sector J (Mineral Mining), for interest and potential future reference. We left the site at approximately 10:00. Recommendations Recommendation #1: On-site fuel tank secondary containment is unknown. Specifically, the facility has a fuel tank to service on-site vehicles only; it is unknown if the tank has secondary containment. Secondary containment typically consists of a containment structure around or under the container, with containment for the entire capacity of the largest single container. Corrective Action: It is recommended that Western Stone, LLC evaluate and incorporate a secondary containment structure associated with the on-site fuel tank, if none exists. Western Stone, LLC Unpermitted Page 3 of 3