Document Rp61vz71qxpQkgeL5VOegop9V

NPDES No. NC0054992 MO/DAY/YR 8/13/2021 United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Project ID: CV-NC0054992-6/16/2021 Reconnaissance Inspection Report SECTION A: National Data System Coding Inspection-Type Inspector ROS Tristan Odekirk SECTION B: Facility Data Name and Location of Facility Inspected (For industrial users discharging to POTW, Entry Date/Time also include POTW name and NPDES permit number) Cherokee Trout Farm 10285 Big Cove Road Cherokee, NC 28719 6/16/2021 11:45 AM Exit Date/Time 6/16/2021 12:20 PM Names of On-site Representative(s)/Title(s)/Phone and Fax Number(s) Other Facility Data Michael Bolt EBCI Natural Resources Program N/A (828) 359-6772 michbolt@nc-cherokee.com Name, Address of Responsible Official/Title/Phone and Fax Number Howard Brown, Owner C.R. Brown Enterprises, Inc. 235 Milton Mashburn Drive Andrews, NC 28901 Contacted Yes No Facility-Type Privately-owned sewage treatment system Permit Effective Date 6/10/2017 Permit Expiration Date 6/9/2022 SECTION C: Areas Evaluated During Inspection (Check only those areas evaluated) Permit Flow Measurement Operation & Maintenance CSO/SSO (Sewer Overflow) Records/Reports Self-Monitoring Program Sludge Handling/Disposal Pollution Prevention Facility Site Review Compliance Schedules Pretreatment Multimedia Effluent/Receiving Waters Laboratory Storm Water Other: SECTION D: Summary of Findings/Comments (Attach additional sheets of narrative and checklists as necessary) See Section D. Name(s) and Signature(s) of Inspector(s) Tristan Odekirk TRISTAN Digitally signed by TRISTAN ODEKIRK ODEKIRK Date: 2021.08.24 19:12:34 -04'00' John Goodwin Agency/Division/Phone Number USEPA/ECAD WEB/(404) 562-9295 Agency/Division/Phone Number USEPA/ECAD WEB/(404) 562-8488 Signature of QA Reviewer Jairo Castillo JAIRO Digitally signed by JAIRO CASTILLO CASTILLO Date: 2021.08.24 17:39:21 -04'00' Agency/Division/Phone Number USEPA/ECAD WEB/(404) 562-9257 Date 8/24/2021 Date 8/25/2021 Date 8/24/2021 Page 1 of 5 United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Reconnaissance Inspection Report Project ID: CV-NC0054992-6/16/2021 (Continued) Section D: Summary of Findings / Comments On June 16, 2021, the EPA conducted a Reconnaissance Inspection (RI) at the Cherokee Trout Farm located in Cherokee, North Carolina. EPA briefly inspected the site with Michael Bolt as representative as neither the permittee nor the operator was present. The following is a summary of RI findings and observations. I. Facility Site Review (Deficiency) The inspection party arrived at the facility at 11:45 am on 6/16/2021. No operators or owners were present. The inspectors entered the premises according to Section 308 of the Clean Water Act. Overall, the facility seemed to be in good working order. EPA inspectors found six unpermitted raceways to be operational and containing fish. This system had the outlet routed to the effluent of the main system (photos 1-5) with an overflow discharging directly to the river. The EPA recommends that the owner take these raceways offline immediately and contact the Region 4 NDPES Permitting Section of the Water Division, to advise intent of increasing the production and flow discharge capacity of the facility. Likewise, the EPA recommends updating the facility BMP plan to reflect the capacity increase. II. Records/Reports (Satisfactory) The facility is permitted to operate 27 raceways discharging into 6 settling ponds. The facility can produce a maximum 725,000 lbs of fish annually using a maximum 114,000 lbs of feed monthly. In the event that the facility is planning to increase its operation with more raceways and fish production, the facility is required to notify the EPA. According to the Permit: From part IV - Best Management Practices (BMP) Plan, section E. Modification and Annual Certification: "The permittee must amend the BMP Plan whenever there is a change in the facility or in the operation of the facility which materially increases the generation of pollutants or their release or potential release to surface waters." From part VI - Standard Conditions, section D. Reporting Requirements: "1. Change in Discharge [40 CFR 122.41(l)(1)(i)-(iii)] The permittee shall give notice to the Director as soon as possible of any planned physical alterations or additions to the permitted facility. Notice is required only when: [...] Page 2 of 5 b. The alteration or addition could significantly change the nature or increase the quantity of pollutants discharged. This notification applies to pollutants which are subject neither to effluent limitations in the permit, nor to notification requirements under Section D, Subsection 11. Sectio [...] 2. Anticipated Noncompliance [40 CFR 122.41(l)(2)] "The permittee shall give advance notice to the Director of any planned changes in the permitted facility or activity which may result in noncompliance with permit requirements. Any maintenance of facilities, which might necessitate unavoidable interruption of operation and degradation of effluent quality, shall be scheduled during noncritical water quality periods and carried out in a manner approved by the Director." The inspectors also reviewed prior inspection reports. In 2016, the EPA inspected the facility and found 6 operational unpermitted raceways discharging through an unpermitted outlet. The report advised the owner to correct this issue. In 2018 the EPA inspected the facility again and found the unpermitted raceways to be out of operation. There is no record of the operator having notified the EPA of resuming operation of these raceways. Photo 1. Six unpermitted raceways found operational. Page 3 of 5 Photo 2. Trout seen swimming in final raceway of unpermitted raceways. Above pipe serves as overflow leading directly to riverbed. Background pipe discharges to main raceway series. Photo 3. Side view of unpermitted effluent showing main outlet and overflow. Page 4 of 5 Photo 4. Pipe leading from unpermitted raceways to main raceway series. Photo 5. Unpermitted raceways discharging to main raceway series just before outlet to settling ponds and discharge point. End of Report Page 5 of 5